I Fell In Love With My Apprentice
by malicent
Summary: Darkclaw has a problem. He's in love with his seven moon old apprentice. He's the deputy of the clan. She's barely out of the nursery. But love sets no boundries. Or does it?
1. A Young Kit and a Senior Warrior

I Fell In Love With My Apprentice

Chapter 1: A Young Kit and a Senior Warrior

Her pelt is so soft.

Her pulse is so mesmerizing.

Her eyes are so green.

My heart beats faster when I see her.

But she's only seven moons old.

My name is Darkclaw, and the she cat I'm describing is my seven moon old apprentice that was just recently appointed to me. Her name is Lilypaw, and she is the sweetest thing I have ever seen. I love the way her nearly gone kit fur still sticks up. I love the way her eyes blink innocently at me when I look at her. I love how her body is so lithe, so small. I know I'm a little bit older then her ... but it feels so right! I mean, I'm not that old. I'm not some weird elder creeping on the young she cats. I am nearly 30 moons old, also known as almost three years.

But that's not that old, is it?

...

"Has anyone seen Darkclaw?" Lilypaw cried. Moonpaw and Jinglepaw stared at her in confusion.

"Who?" Moonpaw asked at last.

"Darkclaw," Lilypaw snapped. Moonpaw had been an apprentice longer than her yet he still acted dafter then a kit.

"I don't know who that is," Moonpaw said.

"Why do you need to find him?" Jinglepaw asked.

"He told me I had to meet him after dinner," Lilypaw said crossly. "But he didn't tell me where."

"Isn't he like, the deputy?" Jinglepaw asked absentmindedly.

"Yeah," Lilypaw snapped. Jinglepaw and Moonpaw just shrugged.

"Useless," Lilypaw muttered as she walked away. In the back of her mind Lilypaw heard Jinglepaw and Moonpaw start up yet another conversation about mice. Lilypaw was a small cat, just newly apprenticed to the deputy Darkclaw. Lilypaw had a soft chocolate brown pelt with green eyes. She remembered briefly the time she told Darkclaw her pelt made her look like a mud puddle. Darkclaw had replied by telling her she looked like the cutest mud puddle he'd ever seen. That was a nice thing about Darkclaw, he always had something nice to say. He never pushed her too hard with her training, and let her hunt at her own pace. Lilypaw thought he was the nicest deputy the forest had.

"Hey, Lilypaw," Jaystorm called out. Jaystorm was one of Willowclans senior warriors. He was a light yellow cat with brown stripes. Lilypaw really respected him.

"Good evening, Jaystorm," Lilypaw said, trying to sound older than she really was. Jaystorm smiled slightly and flicked an ear. Lilypaw looked down at her paws, suddenly embarrassed she had said 'good evening.'

"Have you eaten dinner yet?" Jaystorm asked.

"No," Lilypaw replied. "I was going to eat after I found Darkclaw. He told me to meet him but I don't know where he is."

"He's over here," Jaystorm beckoned with his head to where a group of warriors were eating their fresh kill. Lilypaw looked on timidly. Sitting in the group was Darkclaw, Talonstrike, Amberpelt and Gingertail.

Also known as the Fearsome Four, the most respected, strongest cats in Willowclan. Darkclaw noticed Lilypaw looking at them and his face broke out into a grin. He beckoned with his tail for her to join. Lilypaw yet again ducked her head. Her thin kit legs were shaking, and her heart raced. _Why would the Fearsome four want to sit with a seven moon old kit? _Lilypaw thought to herself.

"Come join us," Jaystorm prompted. "We got plenty of fresh kill over there."

Lilypaw could see Moonpaw and Jinglepaw staring at her from where they were sitting. Lilypaw knew she would feel more comfortable around kits her own age, but she nodded her head anyway at Jaystorm. "Okay," she agreed. "I'll come."

When she reached the group, she suddenly felt a wave of awkwardness. The two she-cats, Amberpelt and Gingertail, were staring at her in disgust. Lilypaw forced herself to relax and looked over at her mentor.

"I was looking for you," Lilypaw said, wincing as her voice squeaked like a kits. _I am a kit, _Lilypaw told herself. _So why do I feel ashamed of sounding like one?_

"How's it feel to be out of the nursery?" Gingertail sneered meanly. Amberpelt threw her head back and laughed. Lilypaws ears burned hot with embarrassment and she forced herself not to look away.

"It's not that bad, really," Lilypaw whispered, not sure what else to say.

"I wanted to talk to you because I wanted to ask you if you'd like to come on our evening patrol," Darkclaw said kindly. Lilypaw brightened at this. "A hunting patrol or border patrol?" she asked, trying to sound like she knew what was going on. Amberpelt snorted. "A border patrol, stupid," she giggled rudely. "We already went hunting today. Where do you think your dinner came from?"

"Amberpelt," Jaystorm warned quietly. "She was just made an apprentice. She's still learning."

"I may be young but I know how to hunt and fight," Lilypaw said angrily. This resulted in Amberpelt and Gingertail to burst into hysterics.

"Stop being so mean," Darkclaw snapped. "Or go eat somewhere else."

"If someone needs to leave, it's her," Gingertail snapped, jabbing a paw in Lilypaws direction. "_She's _not part of the Fearsome Four."

"I'll just go," Lilypaw said quietly. She slunk away, with Amberpelt and Gingertail throwing jeers behind her. Darkclaw called for her to come back, but she ignored him. Tears stung her green eyes, and she blinked to force them away.

...

"So what's the deal, Darkclaw?" Amberpelt asked. "Why did you invite your _apprentice _to sit with us?"

Darkclaw shrugged. "She's cool. She's more mature than the other apprentices."

"Oh, _right,"_ Gingertail sneered. "With her cute kit fur sticking up and her rubbery kit claws. Real _mature." _

"What's with you guys?" Talonstrike spoke angrily. "You've been acting like irritated badgers all evening."

Gingertail shrugged. "I just have no time for kits," she said pointedly.

"You're going to be a terrible mother," Jaystorm muttered.

"Sorry for being mean," Amberpelt said at last, ignoring Jaystorm. "It's just ... I don't understand why Darkclaw needs to always be around his apprentice. Remember when I had an apprentice?"

"I think we all remember when you had an apprentice," Darkclaw said sarcastically. "You worked that poor cat till it was sick."

"It's not my fault she got that cold," Amberpelt said defensively.

"You had her hunting by herself on the coldest day of leaf bare!" Jaystorm cried. "Even I wasn't out in that!"

"Neither was I," Talonstrike nodded grimly. "Everyone was in their nests that day."

"Except for Amberpelts apprentice," Darkclaw said angrily. "The poor thing froze."

"Whatever," Amberpelt muttered. Darkclaw rolled his eyes. "You two stay here," he said to the two cats. "You're both driving me crazy today."

"Yeah, we'll do the patrol ourselves," Jaystorm put in.

"But you already told us we could come!" Gingertail whined.

"I'm the deputy," Darkclaw smiled. "So now I'm telling you that you have both been de-invited from the evening patrol."

Darkclaw, Talonstrike and Jaystorm stood up and proceeded to make their way out of the camp entrance. Darkclaw scanned the clearing for Lilypaw. He spotted her sitting with several other apprentices. Lilypaw must have felt someone watching her, because she looked up abruptly. Darkclaw beckoned her over with his tail. His heart warmed.

He loved the way she smiled when she saw him.


	2. A Worried Mother, A Dangerous Suspicion

I Fell in Love With My Apprentice

Chapter 2: A Worried Mother and a Dangerous Suspicion

Lilypaw was completely out of breath. Her lungs were bursting, but she dared not complain. How many apprentices were invited on an evening patrol with two senior warriors and the clan deputy? Not many, that's for sure. Lilypaws paws ached and her heart was beating so hard it hurt but she was happy to have been invited. Talonstrike, Darkclaw and Jaystorm weren't running, but walking at a very brisk pace. Lilypaw had to run to keep up, as her legs were so short. Finally, after what seemed like several moons, the three toms stopped to take a break. Lilypaw skidded to a halt, and to her embarrassment, tumbled over her front paws. She looked up at Darkclaw, face burning hot with embarrassment. He just smiled slightly and looked away.

"Why did Leafstar want the border patrolled again?" Talonstrike said crossly to no one in particular.

"Kestrelclaw told me something about problems on the Darkclan border," Jaystorm put in. "Apparently there's been problems regarding their scent markers."

"Yeah," Darkclaw said briskly. "They've been really faint. Leafstar thinks it may be a trick so they can cross our border without us noticing."

Lilypaw couldn't keep up with what they were talking about, so she kept her mouth shut and waited patiently for them to be done. A ladybug in the grass caught her eye, so she tuned out the warriors and focused on it. She watched it for a long time, as it scuttled through the dirt. Lilypaw was just thinking about how much Moonpaw and Jinglepaw would like to see it when a movement distracted her. She snapped her head up in alarm. Jaystorm was making a big show of waving a paw around to get her attention.

"O-oh...What?" Lilypaw stammered. "Sorry, I was thinking about something and got distracted."

"I was just asking you if your legs were tired," Jaystorm said. "And if you want to go back to the camp and rest."

Lilypaws ears burned. "No I'm not tired!" she lied, angrily. "I'm not a kit, you know! I don't need to rest!"

"Calm down," Jaystorm snickered. "I was just wondering, because you've been huffing and panting since we stopped."

Lilypaw noticed she was breathing really hard, and forced herself to stop even though it hurt her lungs. "I'm fine," she squeaked. Jaystorm just snorted.

"Hey, how about we go do some hunting?" Darkclaw offered. "We can let Jaystorm and Talonstrike finish the patrol."

"Sure," Lilypaw jumped at the idea of not having to run around any more.

"Meet you back at camp," Darkclaw called over his shoulder at his friends. Talonstrike flicked his tail in reply.

"Do you remember how to do the hunters crouch?" Darkclaw asked as they walked. Lilypaw lowered her body and slithered around like a snake. Darkclaw hid his laugh with a cough.

"You look like a fish flopping," Darkclaw fake coughed six more times. Lilypaw shot up and glared at him. "Well _excuse _me!" she snapped. "Maybe I just got a really dumb mentor who didn't teach me how to do it properly!" When she realized what she had said, her eyes flew open in horror. "I'm so sorry!" she gasped. "I didn't mean that!"

To her surprise, Darkclaw threw his head back and laughed. "You're a sassy little cat," he smiled with his eyes. "I like it!"

Lilypaw beamed. He called her a cat, not a kit.

"I am a cat!" Lilypaw shoved her chest out proudly. "I am a _cat!_"

"Yes, you are," Darkclaw grinned. "Now come on, you crazy cat. Let's go do some hunting."

_Meanwhile_

"Has anyone seen Lilypaw?" Softfur called out, worried. It was getting dark out and she had no idea where her young daughter was. She knew her son Fuzzpaw was safely sleeping in the apprentices den, but she had no idea where Lilypaw was. Softfur guessed she was out of the camp, but she didn't know why. Then she spotted Gingertail sitting near the warriors den. Softfur quickly made her way towards her.

"Have you seen Lilypaw?" Softfur asked, trying to keep the desperation out of her voice. Gingertail stopped washing her face with a paw to stare at the queen. "She went on a _patrol," _she sneered. Softfur stared at her in horror. "With all these problems with Darkclan going on?" she cried. "Who in Starclans name invited her on a patrol at this time in the evening?!"

"Her mentor," Gingertail said, raising a paw to continue washing her face. "Darkclaw."

"_They went out by themselves?!" _Softfur felt a hint of hysteria enter her voice. "What if Darkclan warriors finds them and tears them apart?"

"Well I highly _doubt _Darkclan would do that to Willowclans deputy," Gingertail rolled her eyes. "And no, they're not alone. Talonstrike and Jaystorm went with them."

"Three experienced warriors should know not to take a new apprentice out this late," Softfur shook her head in disbelief. "When they get back I'm going to have a word with this so-called deputy of ours."

"Well, you won't have to wait much longer," Gingertail nodded her head in the direction of the camp entrance. "Looks like our patrol party is back."

Softfur turned her head to see Talonstrike and Jaystorm enter the camp. She stalked over to them, fur bristling with anger.

"Where's Lilypaw?" she snapped the second they were in earshot. Jaystorm jumped at her hostile tone. "Out hunting with Darkclaw," he said cautiously. "Why?"

"_Why?" _Softfur snapped. "She is a seven moon old kit! Whose idea was it to take her out this late?"

"It's not really that late," Talonstrike put it.

"IT IS FOR A YOUNG SHE CAT," Softfur yelled.

"Okay, calm down, I'm sorry," Jaystorm said patiently, trying to calm the worried mother. "She will be home soon, I promise. And she's with Darkclaw. I can assure you she's very safe with him."

"Okay," Softfur said after a moment of thinking this over. "Just please don't take her out this late again," she looked at Jaystorm with a knowing eye. "You're going to be a dad soon," she whispered. "Imagine if one of your young kits were out alone at this time in the night?"

Jaystorm looked down at his paws. "I understand now," he murmured. "I'm sorry, Softfur. I had not put it into perspective until now."

"Good," Softfur began to relax. "Now I am going to sleep, as it is very late. Please tell Darkclaw no more night patrols with my daughter."

"Will do," Jaystorm nodded his head. "Have a good rest."

Softfur nodded her head and walked away. When she was out of sight, Jaystorm turned to Talonstrike with a funny look on his face. "That was scary!" he hissed. "I thought she was going to kill us!"

"That's not what I'm thinking about," Talonstrike exclaimed. "Jaystorm, for Starclans sake, why didn't you tell me that your mate was expecting kits?"

"Because she's not my mate," Jaystorm grumbled.

"What?!"

"Hollyfern is not my mate!" Jaystorm whispered so no one else would overhear. "We just had some fun for a few nights. Her expecting kits is not my fault."

"It kind of is, actually," Talonstrike pointed out. "I mean did you or did you not have-"

"Okay it was my fault!" Jaystorm said crossly. "I don't know what to do, Talon. I just got made a warrior four moons ago. I'm too young to have kits!"

"Too young or not, you're going to be a father and you don't have a choice about it."

"I'm too young."

"No, _your not!" _Talonstrike argued. Remember Snowleaf? She had kits in the first moon of being a warrior."

"She did?" Jaystorm asked. "I didn't know that."

"Where do you think Moonpaw came from?" Talonstrike rolled his eyes. "Jaystorm, sometimes you can be so daft."

"Whatever."

They sat in silence for a bit as they waited for Darkclaw and Lilypaw. When several minutes dragged by, Talonstrike spoke again. What he said chilled Jaystorm, and he had a sinking feeling why.

"Why do you think they're taking so long?" Talonstrike murmured. "They should be back by now."

Jaystorm looked up at the half moon that had risen in the sky. "I don't know what they're doing," he said quietly.

"Can I ask you something?" Talonstrike said after a moments hesitation.

"Yeah, sure."

"Do you ever get the feeling that Darkclaw spends too much time with Lilypaw?"

Jaystorms sinking feeling got deeper. "I have noticed that he spends quite a bit of his time with her," he admitted.

"I think he may like her a little bit," Talonstrike said, worriedly. "In more then a friendly way."

"I've had suspicions about that too," Jaystorm whispered. "I wonder if anyone else has noticed."

"Let's just hope Lilypaw doesn't catch on," Talonstrike said. "She's too young to know what to do or how to react. She would probably just go along with it."

"Lilypaws young, but she's smart," Jaystorm pointed out. "She'd definitely know the difference between right and wrong if Darkclaw put the moves on her."

"Oh jeez, you don't think he will, do you?" Talonstrike cried.

"I doubt it," Jaystorm whispered in a hushed voice. "Now be quiet, I see them."

Darkclaw and Lilypaw pushed their way through the camp entrance, both with fresh kill in their jaws.

"Hey, you got a lot!" Talonstrike called out happily. "Good job!"

"Look what Lilypaw caught," Darkclaw said encouragingly. Lilypaw proudly held up the small thrush she held between her jaws.

"Nice job, Lilypaw," Jaystorm smiled.

"She did better than good," Darkclaw nuzzled Lilypaws face with his whiskers. "She did great!"

"Thank you!" Lilypaw beamed.

Jaystorm shot a glance and Talonstrike, who returned his uneasy gaze.


	3. The Fearsome Threesome Sounds So Wrong

I Fell In Love With My Apprentice

Chapter 3: The Fearsome Threesome Sounds So Wrong

"Will the fearsome foursome please come to my den. NOW!" Leafstar shouted across the clearing. Darkclaw looked up in surprise at Leafstars angry tone. He could see Gingertail and Amberpelt across the clearing, and by the look on their face he could tell they looked just as confused as he was.

"Sucks for you," Jaystorm said happily. "Since I'm not allowed in the fearsome foursome I guess I don't have to get yelled at."

"You're not in the fearsome foursome because the fearsome fivesome sounds really stupid," Darkclaw snapped, getting tired of Jaystorm constantly bringing it up.

"Jaystorm, you too!" Leafstar called. Jaystorms happy expression turned into a scowl.

"I'm not even in the group and I still get harassed," Jaystorm mumbled.

"Stop complaining, let's just go," Darkclaw sighed, getting up. He could see Talonstrike push his way into Leafstars den, with Gingertail and Amberpelt close behind. As Darkclaw walked into the crowded den, he had to stifle a groan. Leafstar looked really, really ticked.

"What's going on?" Gingertail dared to ask.

"Did you or did you not provoke an attack on the Darkclan border?" Leafstar yowled.

"They provoked it," Amberpelt exploded. "They called me a conceited kit who can't even do a successful hunting crouch."

"Yeah, it was so mean," Gingertail put in. "So totally don't blame Amberpelt."

"Stop talking, now," Talonstrike muttered as Leafstar started to growl in annoyance.

"I don't care if they called you a name," Leafstar hissed. "You four are my strongest warriors and-"

Jaystorm made a point to clear his throat loudly.

"My strongest _five _warriors," Leafstar corrected, rolling her eyes. "And you shouldn't be acting like newborn apprentices. I mean for Starclans sake, the last thing you should be doing is making fools of yourselves."

"We're sorry," Gingertail hung her head.

"It's fine. Just make sure you start acting more respectable from now on," Leafstar said. Darkclaw took this as a dismissal, so he stood up to leave.

"I'm not done," Leafstar snapped.

"Oh," embarrassed, Darkclaw sat back down.

"I need you to do the evening patrol," Leafstar explained. Amberpelt and Gingertail exchanged excited glances.

"Please take the apprentices with you," Leafstar continued. Gingertail and Amberpelt exchanged another look, but this time it was a look of annoyance.

"Which apprentices?" Darkclaw asked mildly.

"Jinglepaw, Moonpaw, Lilypaw and Snowpaw," Leafstar said. Talonstrike narrowed his eyes as Darkclaws face lit up at the mention of Lilypaw.

"Okay, I'll go round them up," Amberpelt smiled, then she and Gingertail stalked out of the den, their noses high in the air.

...

"ALRIGHT, KITS, LET'S MOVE!"

Lilypaw woke with a start as Amberpelts snarling voice echoed around the apprentices den.

She groggily raised her head, confused.

"DO YOU NEED TO BE ASKED TWICE?" Amberpelt screamed. "LET'S GO! EVENING PATROL, RIGHT NOW!"

Then she left.

"What the flying fox dung," Moonpaw grumbled, getting up slowly. "Why does she have to be such a -"

"Cussing won't help," Jinglepaw put in, blinking open her eyes.

"Stupid fearsome foursome," Moonpaw said angrily. "They think they can treat us however they want."

"They're nothing but a bunch of bullies," Snowpaw spoke for the first time. Snowpaw was the newest apprentice, she was only 6 and a half moons old. She still had all her soft white kit fur and rubbery soft claws.

"Let's just go," Lilypaw mumbled. "Before she comes back."

Lilypaw padded out of the den, yawning. Mid yawn she spotted Darkclaw staring at her. Lilypaw shut her mouth with a snap, feeling very stupid to have her mouth hanging open. When she walked over to the group, Jaystorm gave her an encouraging smile which made her feel better.

"I thought the evening patrol was done already," Lilypaw commented, trying to force the sleep out of her bones.

"It's elders day," Talonstrike replied. Elders day happened once a moon, it gave a chance for the elders to go on a patrol and look at the scenery. It was always a hassle, the elders always took forever and when they got back they complained for hours that their legs hurt.

"Well, what happened to the elders?" Lilypaw asked.

"They got tired and took a nap on the Greenclan border," Talonstrike snorted. "Greenclan was not very impressed."

"I'll bet," Lilypaw murmured, wincing as she heard the harsh voices of Amberpelt and Gingertail coming closer.

"Where's the rest of the kits?" Amberpelt snapped the second she walked up. "Did I not make my point clear?"

"They're coming," Lilypaw pointed with her tail at the other three apprentices, slowly walking over.

"Oh my god, this is going to take forever," Amberpelt hissed at Darkclaw before turning and screaming "HURRY UP!" at the stricken young cats. Lilypaw looked over at Darkclaw, who gave her an apologetic look. Lilypaw shrugged and looked away.

When the other apprentices finally got to the group, they looked nearly petrified. Lilypaw tried to soothe their terror of Amberpelt by giving them a smile. No one returned it.

"All right everyone, I know it's late. However, Elders day took a turn for the worse and we were chosen to pick up the slack," Talonstrike explained to the apprentices. "We're going to be patrolling the whole border, and make sure you watch your step around Darkclan. They've been more than a little neglecting of their scent markers, and it's easy to cross. Any questions?"

Snowpaw raised her paw.

"What?" Gingertail snapped. Snowpaw quickly put her paw back down.

"No, ignore her," Jaystorm said kindly, while glaring at Gingertail. "What did you want to say, Snowpaw?"

"I was just wondering if we could hunt too," Snowpaw said softly. Amberpelt and Gingertail burst into laughter.

"What an idiot!" Amberpelt shrieked.

"Everyone knows you don't hunt on a border patrol!" Gingertail screamed.

To Lilypaws embarrassment, Snowpaws eyes began to water.

"YOU ARE MEAN BULLIES," Snowpaw cried at the two she cats. Then she turned and ran away. This only resulted in Amberpelt and Gingertail to laugh harder.

"That's it," Darkclaw said calmly. "You two are kicked out of the Fearsome Foursome. Right now."

Gingertails mean expression turned to one of horror. "You don't mean that!" she gasped.

"I do," Darkclaw said sternly.

"You can't kick us out," Amberpelt scoffed.

"I'm the deputy, I can do whatever I want," Darkclaw snapped. "Now get out of my face. Now."

Amberpelt turned tail and stalked away, cursing at no one in particular. Gingertail spat in Darkclaws direction and then walked away as well.

"Well, I guess you're the fearsome two now," Lilypaw commented, trying to lighten the mood.

"Well, the fearsome threesome," Talonstrike replied. "Jaystorm is part of it now."

Jaystorm beamed, then his expression turned funny. "The fearsome threesome sounds really wrong," he mumbled.

"For Starclans sake," Darkclaw rolled his eyes. "We can still be the fearsome foursome, Lilypaw can join."

Moonpaw and Jinglepaws eyes flew open, and their jealousy was obvious. Lilypaw felt as though lightning was running through her veins. "I'd love to be part," she smiled. "But won't Gingertail and Amberpelt get mad?"

"Who cares," Jaystorm snorted.

"No kidding," Darkclaw smiled at Lilypaw. "Now let's go do that patrol before it gets too late."


	4. Testing You

I Fell In Love With My Apprentice

Chapter 4: Testing You

Lilypaw chewed her food slowly, using her full mouth as an excuse not to talk. She was sitting with Darkclaw, Jaystorm, and Talonstrike in the corner of the camp. Cats were broken off into small groups all over the clearing, talking quietly amongst each other as they ate their fresh kill. However, one group was talking distinctively louder than the rest. Gingertail and Amberpelt were sitting on the opposite end of the camp, yet they were talking so loudly Lilypaw and everyone else could hear it clearly.

"I hope everyone enjoys the food WE caught," Amberpelt was saying/yelling. "I hope all the KITS appreciate their free meals!"

"I'm sure the APPRENTICES are grateful we caught so much," Gingertail joined in. "It makes up for all the prey THEY never caught!"

"SHUT UP!" A cat called out from one of the other groups. "You only caught two freaking things between the both of you!"

Lilypaw started to laugh at once, choking on the oversized mouthful of a mouse she had packed in her jaws.

"What?" Darkclaw asked, smiling slightly. Lilypaw hacked and coughed for another few moments before she replied. "Someone just said something funny," she giggled. Jaystorm looked up at this. "I heard it too," he said. "I'm glad someone put them in their place, or else I would have said something if it continued.

"What's going on?" Darkclaw asked mildly. "I missed that."

"Are you deaf?" Jaystorm snapped.

"No, I'm not," Darkclaw replied.

"Then how did you possibly miss the way Gingertail and Amberpelt were talking?"

"I wasn't paying attention," Darkclaw said, flicking an ear.

"They were having an over exaggerated conversation about the prey they caught."

"Typical," Darkclaw snorted. "They've been doing that kind of thing all week."

"I hate to break up this conversation," Talonstrike spoke for the first time. "But don't we have a patrol to do?"

"Oh right," Jaystorm rolled his eyes slightly. "The evening patrol. I forgot Leafstar assigned us to do it."

"Let's get going," Talonstrike heaved himself to his paws. Lilypaw stood up too, forcing herself to push the tiredness out of her bones. Darkclaw noticed this. "Tired?" he asked quietly.

"No," Lilypaw lied, stretching each leg. She had already done the morning patrol today, with the rest of the fearsome foursome. They had caught at _least _seven pieces of prey between the three of them. Lilypaws heart sank when she thought about it, she hadn't caught a thing.

"If you want to go and rest, it's fine," Darkclaw said quietly. "We can do the patrol ourselves."

"I'm not tired," Lilypaw mumbled, feeling embarrassed. Darkclaw was treating her like a little kit!

Darkclaw just shrugged and led the way to the entrance tunnel. "Let's go get this over with then," he said briskly. "It'll be getting dark soon." Darkclaw ran up ahead with Talonstrike, and Lilypaw was grateful Jaystorm matched his pace with hers a little ways behind.

"Hopefully we don't get back to late," Jaystorm commented. Lilypaw looked at him, smiling. "Why, you scared of the dark?" she teased.

"Nah. I'm worried your mother will get mad again," Jaystorm explained. "She had a bit of a episode when you and Darkclaw came back late the other night."

Lilypaw was so embarrassed she almost stopped walking. "I'm not a kit," she said angrily. Jaystorm looked at her sympathetically. "I know you're not."

"Then why does everyone treat me like one?"

"You're young, Lilypaw," Jaystorm paused when Lilypaws fur started to bristle. "Let me finish," he pressed. "You're young, but you're not a kit. Your mother was just worried, that's all."

Lilypaw didn't say anything.

"Don't worry about it," Jaystorm smiled. Lilypaw just shrugged, not knowing how to respond.

"Hey! Are you two elders or what?" Talonstrike called over his shoulder. "Pick up the pace!"

"Coming!" Jaystorm ran forward, and Lilypaw struggled to keep up. She inwardly groaned as the three toms started to run. Lilypaw had to run twice as fast to keep up with them, and her muscles screamed and burned in protest. Just when Lilypaws lungs felt as though they were going to burst, the toms screeched to a halt. Lilypaw tumbled a few feet ahead of them, trying to get a grip on her paws.

"Evening jogs are nice," Darkclaw commented. "Makes me wake up a little bit."

_Jog?! _Lilypaw thought. _That, was a jog? I'll be screwed if they decide to sprint! _Lilypaw gasped to catch her breath, but stopped when she realized none of the others were even breathing hard. _Good grief. _

"Shall we sprint to the Greenclan border?" Talonstrike suggested. "It would make us alert and focused."

_OH NO!_

Lilypaw looked up at Talonstrike, surprised to see he was staring at her with an unreadable look in his eyes. Understanding hit Lilypaw at once. _This is a test, _she thought. _He's testing me..._

There was no time left to think, as Talonstrike had took off sprinting through the trees. Jaystorm was the next to follow, and then Darkclaw, who smiled apologetically at her. Lilypaw narrowed her eyes, gritted her teeth, and charged forward. _Block out the pain, block out the pain! _She told herself, her paws pounding hard on the forest floor. _They're gonna stop soon... they've got to stop soon... _Lilypaws mouth turned bone dry, and she was horrified when saliva started streaming out the corners of her mouth. She ignored it when she realized she was gaining on the toms. _Alright, Talonstrike, you've tested me enough! Stop running before I burst a lung! _

Finally, Talonstrike started to slow down. However, Lilypaw had built up so much speed she raced past him and the others. She gradually slowed to a halt, collapsing on a patch of grass. She shut her eyes and breathed heavily, trying to slow down her racing heartbeat. Her bones felt like they were on fire, and her body felt like it would never move again. She heard paw steps coming closer, and judging by their scents Lilypaw knew it was the rest of the patrol.

"Hey, Lilypaw. Sit up."

Lilypaw forced herself to a sitting position, and glared at Talonstrike as she saw the amused look on his face.

"Did you get a good laugh?" Lilypaw snapped, getting very angry. "Did you get your entertainment out of me for the evening?"

Talonstrike didn't reply.

"Well, congratulations," Lilypaw said quietly. "I'm tired and sore. Are you happy?"

"Yes. You should be happy too," Talonstrike said seriously.

"Why?" Lilypaw demanded.

"Because you, are now a warrior," Talonstrike smiled. Lilypaw gasped, and looked up at Jaystorm and Darkclaw, who had the same smile as Talonstrikes.

"Welcome to the team," Darkclaw whispered.


	5. Old Stories

I Fell in Love With My Apprentice

_Hey! I made a new forum, called Malicents Lair._

myforums/malicent/3273161/

Chapter 5: Old Stories

Lilypaw walked slowly through the rest of the patrol, her paws aching and her heart racing in overdrive. Though she was tired and felt sick to her stomach, Lilypaws thoughts didn't churn with annoyance. Her mind was focused on what Talonstrike had told her, about becoming a warrior. _I'll be the youngest warrior in the history of the clans, _Lilypaw thought to herself. _This is so weird. _

She looked up warily as the rest of the patrol stopped walking, noticing with a jolt that there was another patrol of cats staring out at them over the Greenclan border.

"Greetings," Darkclaw bowed his head to them. The leader of the group, a gray and black tom narrowed his eyes at them. "Awful late to be doing a border patrol," he commented. Darkclaw didn't react hostile, but spoke with an obvious edge. "I could say the same to you, Brambletail," he said cooly.

"So you're just patrolling around?" Brambletail continued. "Not doing anything you shouldn't be doing?"

"The only thing we shouldn't be doing is wasting time when it's already this late," Darkclaw retorted. "Now if you excuse us, we should be going."

"Not so fast," another cat spoke, one Lilypaw didn't recognize. He was a large yellow tom cat with beady eyes.

"Sorry?" Darkclaw said pointedly. The yellow cat slowly moved his eyes over the four cats, stopping when he noticed Lilypaw. "I don't often see the fearsome foursome split," he said mildly. "You four are usually all together at once."

"Gingertail and Amberpelt are respectively no longer part of the fearsome foursome," Darkclaw said slowly. Lilypaw could tell he was trying very hard to keep his cool.

"Oh, so you have two new members then?" the cat chuckled. Lilypaw was starting to get very uncomfortable, as the cats stare at not moved from her in several minutes. Darkclaw opened his mouth to respond, but stopped as the cat had continued talking. "So, _Jaystorm," _he smiled. Lilypaw breathed a sigh of relief as he finally averted his gaze. "You're finally accepted into the group? After all these years of them not allowing you in?"

Jaystorm angrily tore up clumps of grass with his claws and didn't respond.

"And _you," _the cat looked back at Lilypaw. "Quite an honor for a young kit to be let into the _strongest _group of warriors your clan has. What's the deal, Darkclaw?" he sneered. "There's gotta be some sort of catch."

"There's no catch," Darkclaw hissed.

"Ah, well, I see," the cat said at last. "Have a good evening, Darkclaw. I'm sure we'll be seeing you very soon," and then he turned tail and stalked away, the rest of the patrol stomping along behind them. Lilypaw and the others stood still for several moments, before Talonstrike broke the silence. "Well, the patrols not going to do itself," he started to walk away and beckoned for the others to follow. Then he turned around to call over his shoulder, "Darkclaw? A word?"

Darkclaw ran a bit faster to catch up with him, leaving Jaystorm and Lilypaw to walk alone. Lilypaw was feeling a little confused, she knew something important just happened but she couldn't figure out just what it was. She turned to Jaystorm, relieved to see she wasn't the only one who was a little appalled at what just happened. Jaystorms mouth was twisted into a confused scowl, his eyes narrowed.

"Who was that cat?" Lilypaw asked quietly. Jaystorm turned to her, looking almost surprised she had spoken. "The ugly yellow one? That was Yellowpaw."

"Yellow_paw?" _Lilypaw crowed in disbelief. "He didn't look like no apprentice I've ever seen."

"Yeah, that's cause he's not," Jaystorm replied. Lilypaw shook her head. "I'm confused."

"He's been a warriors for moons," Jaystorm explained. "He just never changed his name. The night of his warrior ceremony, his leader was bitten by a snake on the neck. He died before he could ever change Yellowpaws name."

"That's terrible," Lilypaw said. "I never heard anything about that."

"It all happened way before you were born," Jaystorm said. "It's old news."

"Okay... well, why was he staring at us?"

Jaystorm took a while to respond, and this frightened Lilypaw for some reason. When he finally spoke, his voice was cold. "A few moons ago, there was a little conflict with the fearsome foursome and... them," he said in a hushed voice. Lilypaw got a nagging suspicion he didn't want Talonstrike and Darkclaw to overhear him talking. She looked at him encouragingly, waiting for him to continue.

"Okay, I wasn't here at the time, but I was told about it," Jaystorm continued. "The fearsome foursome went out on a patrol, back when Gingertail and Amberpelt were in it, and I stayed back at the camp."

"So what happened?"

"Well, this is the confusing part," Jaystorm muttered. "The patrol came back, and everything was fine. But a few hours later, a Greenclan patrol stalked into our camp. They were _not _happy," Jaystorm said, slowing down a bit to prevent Talonstrike and Jaystorm coming into earshot. Lilypaw was excited to hear what happened, Jaystorms story reminded her of when she was younger and listened to elders tell stories in their den.

"Why did they come into the camp?" Lilypaw asked.

"Well, they accused the fearsome foursome of crossing the border," Jaystorm said after a moments hesitation. "And not just a paw over, I'm talking _way _into the territory."

"The fearsome foursome wouldn't do that," Lilypaw scoffed. "They were probably just causing trouble."

"I'm not done," Jaystorm interrupted. Lilypaw shut her mouth with a snap.

"The fearsome foursome denied it, of course. And I defended them. But Greenclan was persistent. They told Leafstar to come down to their border and see for herself. I went with her, to prove Greenclan wrong."

"What happened then?" Lilypaw asked, eyes wide.

"It was leaf bare at the time," Jaystorm whispered. "I followed the fearsome foursomes tracks down right into the heart of their territory."

Lilypaw gasped.

"Yeah," Jaystorm nodded. "That was my reaction too. But that's not what baffled me the most."

Lilypaw couldn't really see how the story could get any more baffling then it already was, so she kept quiet and waited for him to finish.

"I followed their tracks in the snow all the way to a rabbit hole buried in the snow. I got my foot stuck in it."

"So?"

"So, the tracks stopped after," Jaystorm said. "Vanished."

"Maybe they backtracked through the snow?"

"The tracks would have shown," Jaystorm shook his head in confusion. "To this day, I don't know what happened. It didn't make any sense."

"Well, did you ask Darkclaw or Talonstrike what happened?"

"They always deny ever going across the border," Jaystorm mumbled. "And it's easier to pretend to believe that then to try and figure out a reasonable explanation on how their tracks disappeared."

"Strange," Lilypaw murmured, looking on at Talonstrike and Darkclaw. They walked on confidently, unaware of the conversation between Jaystorm and Lilypaw.

"We should probably catch up," Jaystorm commented, all traces of confusion gone. Lilypaw followed him, knowing he probably just stuffed it in the back of his mind again. Lilypaw ran to catch up too, her thoughts swimming in her head.

_There's something not right going on, _she thought.

_And now I'm a part of it. _


	6. Not What They Seem

I Fell In Love With My Apprentice

Chapter 6: Not What They Seem

"So, you want to make your seven moon old apprentice a warrior already?" Leafstar said disbelievingly. Darkclaw nodded his head yes, looking over at Talonstrike, who was sitting beside him. "We believe she has reached full potential, despite her young age," Darkclaw said carefully. "We both discussed it, and we think very surely that this is a good idea."

Leafstar stared at the two warriors, unsure of what to say. Finally she cleared her throat and spoke, speaking each word slowly, as if she was thinking of what to say as she said it.

"Lilypaw is too young," she said at last. "I am not impressed you already told her that she could become a warrior without my consent."

Darkclaw looked uneasily at Talonstrike, who mirrored his expression. Talonstrike then looked away, and locked eyes with his leader. "Lilypaw has shown maturity and courage, despite her small size."

"Talonstrike, I don't care how small she is. It's her _age _that I have a problem with. What would the other apprentices think?"

"The other apprentices aren't ready," Darkclaw said. "It's obvious."

"Well what makes you think Lilypaw is?"

This time Talonstrike and Darkclaw were both at a loss for words. Leafstar spoke again, this time with a dismissing tone. "Lilypaw will remain an apprentice until she is ready," she said. "Please don't speak to me again until she is."

Darkclaw nodded and stood up to leave, Talonstrike behind him. They pushed their way out of their leaders den, blinking in the sunlight.

"I told you she wasn't old enough," Talonstrike murmured.

"This isn't good," Darkclaw replied quietly, looking out at the clearing. He noticed Lilypaw batting around a piece of moss with the other apprentices. "This isn't good at all."

...

Lilypaw passed the ball of moss back over to Moonpaw, not really concentrating on the game. Her thoughts were elsewhere, with things she was confused about. Lilypaw caught the ball again, her mind churning with thoughts. Lilypaw had an idea, and she wondered if Jaystorm had ever come across it. She was thinking about how the fearsome foursomes tracks disappeared, by the rabbit hole. _Maybe there's a tunnel down there, _Lilypaw thought. _Maybe that's how the tracks vanished. _Lilypaw was so focused on her thoughts, she didn't notice the moss ball fly over her head.

"Hey!" Moonpaw cried. "You didn't catch it!"

"Sorry," Lilypaw apologized. "Let's play later, alright? I need to talk to someone."

"Fine," Moonpaw turned around and stalked away back to the apprentices den. Lilypaw sighed and walked towards Jaystorm, who was lying in the sun on the other side of the camp.

"Hey, Jaystorm," Lilypaw whispered. "Can I speak to you?"

"You don't need to ask permission," Jaystorm mumbled without opening his eyes. "What's up?"

"I think I know how the tracks disappeared," Lilypaw said. Jaystorm shot up at once and looked around quickly. "Don't talk about that so loud," Jaystorm hissed. In a quieter voice he added. "How?"

"The rabbit hole you fell into," Lilypaw whispered. "What if it was a tunnel?"

"It was too small to be a tunnel," Jaystorm said quietly. "None of them would have fit in there."

"Well, I want to go see," Lilypaw said stubbornly. "I want to figure this thing out, I've been thinking about it all night."

"I never should have told you about it," Jaystorm sighed. Then his face turned alarmed.

"What?" Lilypaw asked.

"Darkclaw and Talonstrike are walking over," Jaystorm said very quietly. "We'll talk about this later."

"Fine," Lilypaw growled, turning around. _I'll find out what happened myself. _She ignored Darkclaws calls for her to come back, and continued walking to the elders den. She pushed her way in to find the elders One-ear and Sneezetail talking quietly amongst each other. Lilypaw padded up to them. "Hi," she said, looking at One-ear. One-ear had been born with only one ear, the other place where his ear should be was just smooth like his head. Lilypaw didn't understand and probably never would understand how that happened.

"Hello, Lilypaw," Sneezetail greeted her, his raspy voice was kind and happy. "What brings you in here?" Sneezetail was a bit older than One-ear, and he was constantly sneezing even when he didn't have a cold.

"I want to hear a story," Lilypaw said, sitting down.

"Aren't you getting a little old for that?" One-ear grunted. Lilypaw just shrugged.

"Ignore him," Sneezetail said, glaring at his friend. "What would you like to hear about?"

Lilypaw pretended to think. "I was wondering if you knew anything about the ... fearsome foursome?"

Sneezetail looked over at One-ear, amused. "What you say, One-ear? Do we know anything about them?"

"I could agree we do," One-ear said quietly. "Why do you want to hear about them, Lilypaw?"

"Well, they just let me into the group so-"

"THEY WHAT?" Sneezetail exploded, and then sneezed three times. "What did you say?"

"Well, Gingertail and Amberpelt got kicked out so Jaystorm and I were allowed in," Lilypaw explained. Sneezetail looked at One-ear again. "Look at how out of the loop we are," he said. One-ear just grunted. Sneezetail turned back to Lilypaw, and stared at her with a sullen expression on his face. "Look, you seem like a nice little she-cat," he said slowly. "You don't want to get mixed up with that group."

"I think everyone wants to get mixed up with that group," Lilypaw said defensively. "They're the strongest in the clan."

"Maybe so," Sneezetail replied. "But they aren't what they seem."

"What do you mean," Lilypaw asked quietly, feeling her blood go slightly cold. "Why aren't they what they seem?"

"What do you think, One-ear?" Sneezetail asked his friend. "Should we tell her?"

"Tell me _what?" _Lilypaw snapped, getting very tired of everyone beating around the bush and not telling her anything. Sneezetail settled his paws under him and shifted around. "Get comfortable, Lilypaw," he said at last. "I'm about to tell you one hell of a story."

Lilypaw tried to get comfortable the best she could but she was too excited to settle. She sat impatiently and waited for Sneezetail to begin.

"Alright, it went like this," Sneezetail said, and took a deep breath.

"_This all happened very, very long ago. I was only a young kit at the time. I remember playing with the other kits... One-ear wasn't born yet, but I always played with two others, named Minnowkit and Lilykit. Yes, I know that's your name Lilypaw, please don't interrupt. Anyways, we'd always play together, and get into all sorts of trouble. But as we grew older, we started to notice things. Dark things. At this time in life, the fearsome foursome was a huge deal. They thought they ran the forest. And in a way, they kind of did. The leader of the fearsome foursome at the time was named Fireface. Yes I know that's a funny name, Lilypaw. Fireface was given that name because he was a black cat, yet his face was orange. Believe it or not, Fireface is the father of our lovely friend, Gingertail. Well, back to the point. Lilykit and I wanted to be part of the fearsome foursome one day, it was our dream. We decided to follow them out of the camp one day, and even though Minnowkit couldn't care less, he came too. We were sneaky, you see. The fearsome four didn't catch on at all. Us kits were all having great fun, seeing who could get the closest to the warriors without getting caught. We all hid behind a bush when the only she cat of the group, Mintfur, turned around. Our hearts were pounding as she scanning the clearing, and we dared not to breathe. After what seemed like several moons, she looked away. I watched her say something to the others, and then, it happened. Fireface and Graywind took two steps forward, and vanished._

"That's a load of rubbish," Lilypaw cut in. "I don't believe that for one second."

"No one does, and no one ever did," Sneezetail said slowly. "That's why my apprenticeship was delayed."

"How is that relevant?" Lilypaw asked in irritation.

"No one wanted to mentor the crazy kit who saw things disappear," Sneezetail said scathingly. Lilypaw had heard enough. "Thanks for the story," she said, getting up. Sneezetail stood up too, wincing as his bones were stiff. He leaned right into Lilypaws face, his breath was harsh against her nose. "Be careful," he said, narrowing his eyes. "Be wary of the fearsome foursome, Lilypaw. They are not what they seem."

...

"So I said, Hollyfern I'm not your mate," Jaystorm was saying. "I'm just a cat who spent some late nights with you."

"She-cats," Darkclaw shook his head. "You spend some time with them one day and then the next their demanding commitment."

"Will you two listen to yourselves?" Talonstrike cried in disgust. "Hollyfern is not some piece of prey you can shove away if you don't like it. She is a _cat. _A living, breathing, and now thanks to Jaystorm, _pregnant _cat!"

"It's not my fault," Jaystorm mumbled.

"Yes it is!" Talonstrike exploded.

"Why don't you want to be her mate, anyway?" Darkclaw asked mildly, trying to ease the anger that was rising in Talonstrike. "She's a pretty cat, and she seems very nice."

"It's not that I don't want to be _her _mate," Jaystorm explained. "I just don't want to be _anyone's_! I have a whole life to live, and settling down early would ruin that."

"So, when you're kits ask them why you don't spend time with them, what will you say? That they're an inconvenience?" Talonstrike challenged. Jaystorm sighed loudly and glared at him. "No, I will not _say that," _he snapped. "And this conversation is over. All I wanted was some good tom talk and you two whine more than she-cats."

Talonstrike sucked in a huge lung full of air to yell, but stopped when Darkclaw gently touch his shoulder. "Don't say anything," he whispered. Talonstrike let out all the air in one gust.

"You got spit on me!" Jaystorm cried.

"Did not," Talonstrike mumbled.

Darkclaw sighed.

"Hey."

Darkclaw turned around to see Lilypaw standing there, shifting her paws back and forth. Darkclaw could tell she obviously felt awkward, but he didn't know why. "What's up?" he asked. 

"I was wondering if any of you could tell me a little about Fireface," Lilypaw said quickly. Talonstrike started to choke and cough. Jaystorm had to pound him four times on the back with his paw before he recovered. Lilypaw stared at him in annoyance.

"Hey, look Darkclaw!" Jaystorm grinned. "She scowls better than you do."

Darkclaw was just in the process of scowling but immediately thought better of it. He looked at Lilypaw, who had grown increasingly uncomfortable.

"Who told you about Fireface, Lilypaw?" Talonstrike asked at last, narrowing his eyes.

"I was talking to Sneezetail and One-ear," Lilypaw admitted. "Sneezetail told me a story about the old fearsome foursome."

"Oh that old garbage!" Jaystorm burst out. "He's been telling that story to anyone who'd listen for as long as he's been alive."

"He told me he snuck out of the camp with Lilykit and Minnowkit and he saw Fireface and another cat called Graywind disappear," Lilypaw said in a rush. Jaystorm started to laugh, but stopped when he realized he was the only one laughing. Lilypaw stared at Talonstrike and Darkclaws sullen expressions and was hit with the sudden realization that they were hiding something. She also made the inference that Jaystorm, who looked utterly bewildered, was not a part of it.

"Fireface, is Gingertails dad," Talonstrike said at last. "He was a great cat, and he lived many moons. It's a shame he had to die so early but-"

"I don't want a description," Lilypaw cut in. "I want an explanation."

Talonstrike and Darkclaw shared a panicked glance.

"If you wouldn't mind, I'd like an explanation too," Jaystorm said suddenly, glaring at his friends. "What's going on?"

"Sneezetail needs to learn to stop spreading rubbish," Talonstrike snapped.

"It sure doesn't sound like rubbish," Jaystorm retorted.

"It's complete fabrication," Darkclaw said angrily. "The cats a loon. I can't believe you're on his side."

"It's not a matter of choosing sides," Lilypaw said desperately. "It's a matter of whether or not you're hiding something!"

"What brought all this on, anyway?" Darkclaw hissed at Lilypaw. "Did you _ask _the elders to tell you a story about the fearsome foursome?"

"As a matter of fact, I did," Lilypaw growled back, trying not to think about how harsh Darkclaw was talking to her.

"Why were you prying for that information in the first place?" Talonstrike asked angrily. "Did you-" then he stopped talking mid sentence, and slowly turned to face Jaystorm. "You told her," he said at last. "You told her about the Greenclan incident."

Darkclaw whipped his head around to stare at Jaystorm, hissing. "You _told _her?" he hissed. "How could you do a thing like that?"

"I didn't think it mattered!" Jaystorm protested, backing up slightly. "She was asking about Yellowpaw, and one thing led to another. Conversation has a flow."

"Idiot," Talonstrike spat. "You're such an idiot."

"Stop! STOP!" Lilypaw cried, as the toms fur all started to bristle. "Why does it matter if he told me about that?"

"We agreed not to talk about it," Talonstrike snapped.

"Not talking about things is one thing," Lilypaw said, voice rising. "Having weird, creepy secrets is another!"

"You know what, I'm done," Talonstrike snapped. He stalked away, Darkclaw close behind. Lilypaw watched him until he turned around to glare at her. "I didn't think you were one to pry, Lilypaw," he said. "Kits who pry always find out things they don't want to hear."

"I'm not a _kit _you STUPID IDIOT!" Lilypaw screamed, her last shreds of control vanishing like mist. Darkclaw flicked his tail angrily at her but didn't respond. Defeated, Lilypaw turned to Jaystorm warily, unsurprised to see he looked just as baffled as she was.

"There's something strange going on," Lilypaw said when Jaystorm remained mute. He nodded slowly. "Yes, there is," he murmured. "And I don't have the slightest clue on what it could be."


	7. Cold Truth

I Fell In Love With My Apprentice

Chapter 7: Cold Truth

Lilypaw slowly made her way over to Jaystorm, who was sitting alone next to the medicine cats den. "Hey," she said as she came into earshot. Jaystorm looked up, his dull eyes brightening when he saw her.

"Hello," he replied. "What are you up to?"

"I was just about to ask you the same thing," Lilypaw retorted. "What are you doing over here? Are you sick?"

Jaystorm looked confused for a moment, and looked up to see what she was talking about. Realization dawned over him like a wave when he realized he was sitting by the medicine cats den. "Oh. No, I'm not sick. I'm just sitting here."

Lilypaw could tell he was upset, and she had a sinking feeling why. Darkclaw had organized the evening patrol earlier, and it was no secret he had deliberately excluded Jaystorm. "So," Lilypaw said slowly. "They're still mad, huh."

Jaystorm shook his head in frustration. "Yeah," he snapped. "They are."

Lilypaw shuffled her paws awkwardly. "So, is there no more fearsome four?"

"Oh, there is," Jaystorm said, giving the slightest of eye rolls. "We're just not speaking."

"Well, we are," Lilypaw said, trying to be helpful. Jaystorm smiled, and looked at Lilypaw warmly. "I know. I'm grateful."

Lilypaw was dimly aware Jaystorm held their eye contact for slightly too long. She looked away.

"Well, it's stupid why they're mad," she said. "I don't understand why they feel the need to keep secrets from me."

"It's not just you," Jaystorm scoffed. "It's everyone. It's always been that way."

"Well, I'm going to do something about it," Lilypaw said quietly. "All this strange weirdness is keeping me up all night."

"What are you trying to gain from this?" Jaystorm asked, narrowing his eyes. "Respect?"

"No," Lilypaw growled. "I want answers."

They stood staring at each other for a few seconds before Jaystorm spoke. "So what are you going to do?"

"I'm going to go into Greenclan territory," Lilypaw replied determinedly. Jaystorm let out a loud laugh, raising the attention of all the cats in a twenty yard radius. Jaystorm winced and lowered his voice. "Are you crazy?" he hissed. "They'll detect your scent before you even get there."

"It's almost nightfall," Lilypaw whispered. "I'll just go in and out and then it'll be done."

"Why are you telling me this?" Jaystorm groaned. "Now I'm obligated to tell Leafstar."

"Why?" Lilypaw demanded.

"Because you're planning on breaking the warrior code," Jaystorm replied sarcastically.

"Well, fine, wake up Leafstar to tell her that," Lilypaw snapped. "I'm sure she'll be very impressed," then she turned and stalked away. She ignored Jaystorms calls for her to come back, pushing her way out of the camp entrance without so much as a glance back. She looked out into the night, the stars twinkled brightly against the blackness. Lilypaw slowly walked forward, suddenly feeling frightened. Dark distorted shadows covered the ground, casting eerie black shapes upon the forest floor. Lilypaws paws squished against the damp grass, and it wasn't until Lilypaw was halfway to the Greenclan border when she finally understood what she was doing. _I'm about to cross the Greenclan border, sneak into their territory, blindly search around until I find a rabbit hole, and then leave, _Lilypaw thought warily. _This has got to be the dumbest thing I've ever and will ever do. _Then another thought crossed her mind, making her stop dead.

_What if I run into Darkclaws patrol_

Lilypaw then heard a snap behind her, making fear shoot through her bones. She raced forward, crashing through the bushes. Branches and twigs lashed across her face, but she kept running, getting more scared by the minute.

Then she heard a voice.

Lilypaw shrunk down and crawled as quietly as she could behind a large bush. The leaves rustled as she crammed her way through the sticks into the middle of the bush.

Paw steps were coming closer.

Heart hammering in her chest, Lilypaw held her breath. The paw steps walked slowly in front of the bush, pausing when they came to the front of it. Lilypaw was _petrified. _Her ears stuck flat to her head and her eyes were wider than the moon. Her heartbeat was pounding so hard Lilypaw figured it could be heard clean across the forest.

"Lilypaw?" a voice hissed.

Lilypaw shrieked, jumping up. The bush rattled and groaned from the movement. _Please Starclan, I'm begging you... please don't be Darkclaw or Talonstrike. _Lilypaw dared to poke her head out of the bush and face the facts. Jaystorms amused face stared back at her.

"Oh for _gods sake," _Lilypaw hissed. "You nearly gave me a heart attack you mouse brained _idiot."_

Jaystorm watched patiently as Lilypaw picked her way through the thorns of the bush. "Have I ever told you that you do really dumb things?" he said, smiling as though he were entertained. Lilypaw glared at him. "Why are you out here?" she snapped. "I thought you were going to tell Leafstar."

"I'm not going to let you wander around the forest in the middle of the night," Jaystorm scoffed. "I had to make sure you were alright."

"Well I'm _fine, _no thanks to you," Lilypaw growled. "For Starclans sake, Jaystorm. Don't prowl around! I thought you were the patrol."

Jaystorms eyes shot open. "Oh, _jeez, _I forgot about the patrol," he whispered in panic. "I was so worried about you I didn't take that into consideration."

Lilypaw decided to let that compromising remark slide. "They're probably back at the camp already," Lilypaw said feebly. Jaystorm shook his head. "No. They haven't crossed here yet, I would have smelled their markers."

"We need to get out of here," Lilypaw said after a moments pause. Jaystorm opened his mouth to respond but then shut it with a snap.

"What?" Lilypaw asked.

"Sh!" Jaystorm hissed. He raised his head and looked around, silently taking in the scene around him. Lilypaw was started to have a terrible feeling that someone was coming.

Her suspicions were correct.

"_Hide!" _Jaystorm hissed, diving into the bush Lilypaw had used to reside in. Lilypaw scrambled after him, wondering just how they were both going to fit in there when Lilypaw had problems making room by herself. She squeezed in next to Jaystorm, huddling under him. Thorns pierced her back and she shifted around, trying to dislodge them.

"Stop rustling the branches!" Jaystorm hissed.

"There's thorns!" Lilypaw cried defensively.

"Be _quiet!" _Jaystorm whispered as fiercely as he could. He used his paw to shuffle around the branches to hide them better. Lilypaw could hear footsteps of the patrol coming closer, and she forced herself to be as silent as she possibly could. Jaystorm peered out through the cracks in the leaves, trying to see if the patrol was coming near. Lilypaw inwardly groaned as the patrol stopped, and she could hear them whispering. _This isn't going to be good, _she thought.

But then they started walking again.

"That was close," she whispered.

"Sh!" Jaystorm hissed.

Lilypaw rolled her eyes and looked back out of the crack in the bush. Darkclaws head had appeared, in a mixture of confusion and disbelief. "What, are you doing?" he asked dryly.

"Oh, you know," Lilypaw said feebly. "Just hangin out."

Darkclaw looked from Lilypaw to Jaystorm, and then back to Lilypaw. Then he turned and glared at Jaystorm. "What are _you _doing in here?" he hissed.

"I don't really know," Jaystorm said after a very, very long silence. Lilypaw noticed Darkclaw had a horrid look in his eyes as he looked at Jaystorm. _It looks like he wants to kill him, _she thought. _What's going on? _

"Look, Darkclaw," Lilypaw said at last. "We went on a walk, and panicked when we heard you coming. We thought you were an enemy patrol."

"We're in the middle of our territory," Darkclaw said, speaking each word distinctly. "Why on earth would you think that?"

"The night plays tricks on me," Lilypaw whispered. "I'm sorry. I know this looks bad."

"Oh, does it ever," Darkclaw hissed, turning his eyes to look at Jaystorm again. "Jaystorm, I'd like to have a word with you, if you don't mind."

"Okay," was all Jaystorm could muster. He scrambled out of the bush, leaving Lilypaw to sit by herself. Darkclaw glared at her. "Are you coming out?" he snapped.

"I think I'm just gonna sit here for a bit," Lilypaw said, completely embarrassed when she saw the rest of the patrol staring at her. "You go ahead. I'll catch up."

...

Jaystorm followed Darkclaw through the forest, feeling completely awkward. His face felt hot, as if he were sitting in the sun all day. The cool night air didn't seem to affect his burning pelt. After what seemed like several moons, Darkclaw stopped and whipped around to face him. He didn't say anything, just glared at Jaystorm with all the hate he could muster.

"I don't get why you're so mad," Jaystorm mumbled. "We didn't do anything wrong."

"Do you want to know what I don't get?" Darkclaw hissed. "Why you were guiltily hiding in a bush with my seven moon old apprentice."

"I think she's eight moons now," Jaystorm pointed out.

"Who cares," Darkclaw growled. "She's way too young, Jaystorm. Find a cat your own age. I mean, come on. Seeing you cuddled next to her in the bush made me sick."

"The only reason we were _cuddled in the bush _was because there was hardly any room!" Jaystorm cried defensively, his ears growing hot again.

"Oh really?" Darkclaw yelled. "So you wanting to be close to her had nothing to do with it?"

"Oh, you're the one to talk!" Jaystorm hissed, narrowing his eyes. Darkclaw looked taken aback. "Excuse me?"

"Oh, come on, Darkclaw," Jaystorm sighed. "It's no secret that you have a thing for Lilypaw. Quite frankly, everyone thinks its really freaking weird."

"Who's everyone," Darkclaw whispered.

"Me, Talonstrike. I know Gingertail and Amberpelt know. Honestly I think everyone knows except for Lilypaw!"

"That's a load of garbage," Darkclaw seethed. "I do not have a thing for her. She's my apprentice, you idiot. I spend a lot of time with her because I _have to."_

"You're a liar," Jaystorm growled. "Stop denying it, Darkclaw, we all see how you look at her. And the only reason you're getting so mad right now is because you're _jealous. _You wish it was _you _sitting with her in the bushes and now you're angry because you caught someone else with her!"

"I swear, Jaystorm, if you breathe one more word about that, you will never be able to _get _to the bushes again, because you will not have legs to take you there."

"Oh, is that a threat?" Jaystorm hissed.

"Only if you take it as one," Darkclaw said coldly. "I'm telling you as your friend, Jaystorm. _Back off _from Lilypaw."

"And what if I don't?" Jaystorm growled. "You can't make me."

"True," Darkclaw admitted. "But I can kick you out of the fearsome four."

"You wouldn't," Jaystorm hissed.

"Watch me. Go on midnight walks with Lilypaw, it's your choice. Just don't expect to be part of my group if you do so," Darkclaw glared icily at Jaystorm, who was gaping at him in shock. "The fearsome foursome has rules, Jaystorm. If you want to be a part of it I suggest you follow them."

"The _fearsome four _doesn't have rules!" Jaystorm all but screamed. "You do!"

Darkclaw shrugged. "I guess you're right."

Jaystorm was starting to get so angry he could barely speak. "Fine," he whispered. "I don't need you or your stupid freaking group."

"Your loss," Darkclaw said simply, and then he turned and walked away.

"You know, I'm a lot closer to Lilypaws age then you are," Jaystorm called angrily after him. "I think if anyone has a shot with her, it's me."

Darkclaw swore and didn't look back, just stalked through the trees until he was out of eyesight.


	8. Threat

I Fell In Love With My Apprentice

Chapter 8: Threat

Lilypaw sat in the middle of the clearing, eating her fresh kill alone. She felt terribly awkward, so she kept her head down and chewed as fast as she could. In one corner, Darkclaw sat with Talonstrike. Lilypaw couldn't go over there because they were still mad at her. Not to mention she was still horribly embarrassed about last nights incident in the bush. To her left, Jaystorm sat with Gingertail. Lilypaw wondered dimly where Amberpelt was. Lilypaw had two reasons why she didn't sit with Jaystorm. One, Gingertail was there and that always led to unfriendly remarks. Two, she hadn't spoken to Jaystorm since they got caught by Darkclaw. Tensions were high in Willowclan, and Lilypaw had a sinking feeling that she was the sole cause of it.

"Why are you sitting alone?" Moonpaw asked, making Lilypaw jump in surprise. She turned around to see Moonpaw sitting there holding a thrush in his jaws.

"Oh, hey Moonpaw," Lilypaw mumbled. "I was just thinking about stuff."

"By yourself?" Moonpaw asked.

"Yes, Moonpaw. By myself."

"Well, we're having a meeting over there," Moonpaw gestured with his tail to a group of apprentices clustered around a tree stump. Lilypaw recognized her brother Fuzzpaw, Jinglepaw and Snowpaw. Lilypaw flicked an ear. "What are you meeting about?"

"We're creating our own fearsome foursome," Moonpaw declared proudly. Lilypaw had to force herself not to laugh. "What do you think the real fearsome four will think of that?"

"There isn't a fearsome four anymore," Moonpaw said, staring at her as if she was extremely dumb. "You guys broke up, didn't you?"

"What?" Lilypaw snapped, suddenly feeling alarmed. "Who told you that?"

"Everyone's talking about it," Moonpaw sighed. "Honestly, Lilypaw. How could you not know this?"

"Because no one bothered to tell me," Lilypaw growled.

"So do you want to come to our meeting?" Moonpaw urged. "Please, Lilypaw! We're having fun!"

"Fine," Lilypaw sighed, not really wanting to go but unable to think of anything better to do. Lilypaw followed Moonpaw to the stump, where Snowpaw was enthusiastically telling a story.

"So I shredded that big cats ears with one single claw," she was saying. "I sent her back to Greenclan howling and screaming."

"Wow..." the other apprentices chorused.

"And then, they sent for back up," Snowpaw continued. "As they all charged towards me, I flew high in the air! They crashed into each other, and I landed on the heap. I stomped them all into the ground."

"What did you do then?" Fuzzpaw asked excitedly.

"Well, I tied all their tails into a knot and dragged them into the creek-"

"Oh for Starclans sake," Lilypaw interrupted. Snowpaw stopped talking, and all the apprentices turned to stare at her.

"What?" Snowpaw asked.

"Sorry," Lilypaw apologized, ears turning hot. "But do you really think anyone believes what you're saying?"

Snowpaw didn't respond.

"I mean come on," Lilypaw continued. "You, flying through the air? Stomping on a heap of warriors? You can't even beat Moonpaw in a play fight!"

"It's just for fun," Snowpaw said coldly.

"Yeah," Moonpaw said angrily. "You wouldn't know anything about fun anymore, Lilypaw. You threw away your apprenticeship way too soon."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Lilypaw snapped. "I am an apprentice, just like you."

"Yeah, but you don't act like it," Snowpaw mumbled. "You stopped hanging out with us the second Darkclaw showed interest in you."

"What's so special about you anyway?" Jinglepaw put in. "You're no different then the rest of us."

Lilypaw was so offended, she was grateful when she heard Leafstar call her name. _Anything to get me out of here, _Lilypaw thought angrily, stalking away. _Silly little kits. _Leafstar beckoned Lilypaw for her to come into her den, and Lilypaw followed wordlessly. Once she pushed her way into the den, she nearly wished she was still sitting with the apprentices.

Darkclaw, Talonstrike, Jaystorm, Gingertail and Amberpelt sat in the den, not looking at each other. Lilypaw slowly sat down next to Amberpelt, deciding she'd rather sit with a she cat that hated her over a tom cat who was deliberately avoiding her. Leafstar stood staring back and forth at the six of them, narrowing her eyes. Lilypaw fidgeted with her paws, starting to get a bad feeling of where this was going. Finally, after what seemed like several moons, Leafstar spoke.

"Alright. I want to know what's going on," she said.

"Pardon?" Jaystorm mumbled. Leafstar sighed. "Don't act daft. I know you all are having a bit of a fight. I need to know what it's about."

Talonstrike coughed, and Jaystorm sneezed.

"Someone needs to start talking," Leafstar hissed. "Or you're all banned to the camp for a moon."

"WHAT?" Jaystorm cried.

"Or you can talk," Leafstar growled. "The choice is yours."

Again, no one spoke.

"Look," Leafstar sighed. "I need you to tell me what's going on. Having secrets and being angry towards one another can jeopardize the clan."

"The other day, Lilypaw and I went for a walk," Jaystorm said at last. "We heard paw steps coming, and we panicked."

"I got scared because it was dark and creepy out," Lilypaw broke in. Jaystorm looked at her in surprise. Lilypaw didn't look at him and kept going. "In a moment of fear, I jumped into a bush. Jaystorm followed me."

"I didn't know what else to do," Jaystorm grumbled. Leafstar glared at him and motioned for Lilypaw to continue.

"Well, we sat in the bush for a few moments, and then Darkclaw appeared," Lilypaw forced her voice not to crack. "He was really angry."

"I was angry, because it was my first reaction!" Darkclaw exploded.

"That confuses me," Leafstar said slowly. "Why were you angry, Darkclaw? What were they doing wrong?"

"Nothing," Darkclaw said numbly after a moments pause. "Nothing. Look, can I just apologize and can we move on?"

"Sounds fair," Leafstar nodded. Darkclaw looked Jaystorm dead in the eye. "I'm sorry," he said. Jaystorm coughed and muttered "I'm sorry," back.

"Good, I'm glad that's resolved," Leafstar said. Lilypaw thought this was a dismissal, but she wasn't sure. Not wanting to embarrass herself, Lilypaw sat and waited for the others to stand up. Jaystorm got up first, followed by Gingertail and Amberpelt. Darkclaw rose last, following the others out of the den. Lilypaw scrambled after them, but not before seeing the look in Leafstars eyes. Her eyes had a knowing gleam in them, one Lilypaw didn't understand. She forced herself to look away, and followed the others outside.

"So are we really sorry or was that just a guise?" Jaystorm was saying.

"It was real," Darkclaw mumbled. "I hate being mad at each other, it makes the patrols a real pain to plan."

"Good," Jaystorm said, relieved. "Does that mean the fearsome foursome is still together?"

"Oh please," Darkclaw rolled his eyes. "We never split in the first place."

"The apprentices said that we did," Lilypaw blurted out. Everyone turned to stare at her.

"What?" Talonstrike said. Lilypaw suddenly felt uncomfortable, and wished she hadn't spoken. "They're saying the whole clans talking about us," Lilypaw mumbled. "They're trying to create their own group.

Darkclaw snorted. "As if that'll ever happen."

Lilypaw nodded. "I know."

"Well, I don't know why Leafstar dragged us in there," Amberpelt said suddenly, rolling her eyes. "That really had nothing to do with us."

"Yeah, it just wasted our time," Gingertail agreed. Then they turned and walked away, tails held high in the air.

"She cats are so rude," Darkclaw sighed. Lilypaw looked at him defensively. Darkclaws gaze softened as he looked at her. "Except for you, Lilypaw," he smiled. "You're awesome."

Lilypaws pelt flushed with happiness and relief as he smiled at her. _We're friends again!_

...

Moonpaw led his crew of apprentices around the camp, their small paws making exaggerated stomps as they walked. Moonpaw led the 'patrol,' with the other three a few steps behind. They all carried twigs and branches in between their jaws, looking determinedly forward. Moonpaw saw Fuzzpaw and Lilypaws mother walking toward them, and when she was jut a few feet away, Moonpaw dropped his sticks. "Halt," he ordered the rest of the patrol. Jinglepaw, Fuzzpaw and Snowpaw did as they were told, dropping their sticks as well. Softfur looked on at them, amused. "What are you doing? She asked.

"Rebuilding the elders den," Moonpaw explained happily. The other three nodded excitedly. Softfur looked on at the perfectly built elders den, then back to the apprentices. "It's not broken," she said slowly.

"We know," Snowpaw piped in. "We're just trying to be helpful."

"Well, I don't know if Sneezetail and One-ear will find it very _helpful _to wake them up to fix their non broken den," Softfur hinted.

"I know," Moonpaw mumbled. "We'll be quiet," then he picked up his twigs and stomped loudly to the elders den. The other three did the same.

"Please don't stomp!" Softfur called. No one listened.

"Sneezetail is always so sneezy because his dens is drafty," Moonpaw explained. "That's why if we take out all these dead leaves-" Moonpaw grunted and ripped off a huge chunk of the elders wall. "Then there will be no more problem."

"Um, I don't think that helped," Jinglepaw said, staring at the gaping hole Moonpaw had just put in the den.

"Well I'm not done, idiot," Moonpaw snapped. He used his paws to shove his sticks into the hole. They stayed stable for a solid four seconds before collapsing into the den.

"Hey!" Moonpaw heard One-ear cry. "It's raining sticks!"

"Shut up, you idiot," Sneezetail snapped. "They just fell out of the wall."

Moonpaw was starting to get very worried he had done something dumb. He was just starting to relax when Sneezetails head poked out of the hole he had formed. Snowpaw and Fuzzpaw shrieked, and Jinglepaw seemed to jump six feet into the air.

"What are you apprentices doing?" Sneezetail snapped. "I just got a face full of sticks and leaves!"

"Sorry!" Moonpaw squeaked, lowering his head in shame. "We were trying to rebuild your den."

"Did you happen to notice it did not need to be rebuilt?" Sneezetail cried. "Why were you trying to do that, anyway?"

"We thought it would be noble and kind," Moonpaw mumbled.

"Yeah!" Fuzzpaw broke in. "It's something the fearsome four would do."

Sneezetails eyes seemed to glint, and he didn't say anything for a moment.

"We're making our own fearsome foursome group," Snowpaw said happily when no one spoke.

"Ah, I see," Sneezetail said quietly. "Why don't you stop trying to fix the den and come on inside. I could tell you a story about the fearsome four if you like."

The apprentices ran excitedly into the den, eager to hear a story. Moonpaw knew stories were usually told for kits, but he still liked to hear them anyway.

"Alright," Sneezetail said, settling in. "I'm going to tell you about-"

"What's all this ruckus?" One-ear cried, sitting up. "I just fell back asleep."

"I'm telling them a story," Sneezetail explained patiently.

"Isn't it time to be sleeping?" One-ear grumbled. Sneezetail started to look skeptical, so Moonpaw jumped in. "Come on, Sneezetail!" he protested. "Just one story! Then we'll go to bed."

"Okay," Sneezetail nodded. "It all happened long ago...

_I had just been made an apprentice when my mentor disappeared. Poppydawn was her name, and she was the prettiest cat in the whole clan. All the tom cats had a thing for her, and all the young apprentices showered her with gifts of berries and other silly objects. I personally thought she was fascinating, she could fight brilliantly, and she could hunt for hours without getting tired. Anyways, everyone loved her. However, there was one cat who liked her a little more than the rest. His name was Fireface, the leader of the fearsome foursome. It was no secret he wanted to be with her. The only cat that seemed to be blind to his come ons was Poppydawn herself. She wasn't stupid, I mean I think she was dimly aware something was going on. I think she just chose to ignore it. Anyways, another she cat in the fearsome foursome, Mintfur, didn't like Firefaces love for Poppydawn. In fact, she hated it. She would never admit it, but it was obvious she was in love with Fireface. So, one day... Mintfur took Poppydawn hunting with her. I wanted to go, but I was told to stay in camp. I was excited for Poppydawn to return, because I had caught an extra large mouse while hunting and wanted to show her. I waited and waited... I didn't understand what was taking them so long. So, when Mintfur pushed her way back into the camp, I was confused. Poppydawn wasn't with her. Mintfur was covered in dirt and bits of leaves, she told me she had fallen into a rabbit hole and Poppydawn fell in too. I thought she was lying, you see... there was blood clotted in Poppydawns fur -" _

Sneezetail abruptly stopped talking and looked up. Darkclaw has pushed his way into the elders den.

"Apprentices, go to bed," he growled. "It's way to late to be listening to stories.

"Aw, can't we finish it?" Fuzzpaw groaned.

"Yeah!" Jinglepaw put in. "It was getting really good!"

"No," Darkclaw said slowly. "Please go to bed, _now."_

The apprentices groaned and slowly walked out of the den. Darkclaw looked behind him to make sure they were gone before he did anything. When the young cats were out of eyesight and earshot, he turned and glared menacingly at Sneezetail.

"What do you think you're doing?" he hissed. Sneezetail looked frightened. "I was just telling them a story, Darkclaw. Honest!"

Darkclaw slowly walked forward and stared Sneezetail dead in the eye.

"No more stories," Darkclaw whispered coldly. "If you tell one more rubbish tale to _anyone, _you will not enjoy what happens." 


	9. The Gathering

I Fell In Love With My Apprentice

Chapter 9: The Gathering

"Well done, Lilypaw!" Darkclaw said encouragingly. Lilypaw proudly held up the small bird she had just caught.

"Thanks," she said through a mouthful of feathers. "It didn't even see me coming!"

"Clearly," Talonstrike murmured. Lilypaw jumped slightly, she hadn't seen him walk up.

"How much more are we going to do?" Lilypaw asked mildly. "It's starting to get dark."

Lilypaw didn't really care how dark it was, she just didn't want to admit that her paws were aching and she was getting noticeably tired.

"We should probably head back," Darkclaw nodded in agreement. "I forgot the gathering is tonight."

"Oh?" this was news to Lilypaw. "Who's going?"

"Everyone that matters," Darkclaw winked. "Now come on, we need to get back."

Lilypaw picked up her bird and followed Talonstrike and Darkclaw through the trees, starting to notice she was able to keep up better with their pace. _I'm getting stronger, _Lilypaw thought excitedly. _I'm getting faster! _She ran the whole way, not pausing once to take a break. The only moment she stopped walking was in the middle of the entrance tunnel to the camp. Lilypaw winced and forced herself to push forward. Thorns had snagged her fur.

"Where in the name of Starclan have you been?" Leafstar howled. Darkclaw and Talonstrike jumped up in surprise and looked around. Lilypaw looked behind her too, unsurprised to see Leafstar stalking across the clearing towards them.

"Are you aware we were supposed to leave for the gathering _twenty _minutes ago?" Leafstar snapped. "What were you doing?"

"We're very sorry," Talonstrike replied. "We were hunting and lost track of the time."

"Well, don't lose it again," Leafstar growled. "Now let's go before we're any more late then we already are!"

"My apologies," Darkclaw bowed his head. "It won't happen again."

"I'm quite sure it wont. Now, have you at least chosen the cats that will be attending?"

By the look of confusion and disbelief that crossed Darkclaws face, Lilypaw knew that he had not so much as _thought _about that cats coming to the gathering. Lilypaw was thankful when Talonstrike spoke up and saved him.

"We have discussed it," Talonstrike said slowly. "You, Darkclaw, myself, Jaystorm, Lilypaw, Gingertail, Moonpaw and Rainsong if she's not busy in the medicine cats den."

"Rainsong has been cooped up in her den all day," Leafstar nodded. "Fresh air will do her good."

"Where is Jaystorm, anyway?" Lilypaw asked, wondering why she hadn't seen him all day.

"I don't know," Darkclaw admitted. "I told him about the patrol but he said he wouldn't be able to attend."

"Odd," Lilypaw murmured.

"Go round him up, will you Lilypaw?" Talonstrike said. "We need to get going as soon as possible."

"Okay," Lilypaw said, looking around. _Where could he be?_

As if to answer her unspoken question, Jaystorm appeared out of the warriors den. Lilypaws heart lifted for some reason, and she started to make her way over to him. Then her heart plummeted straight back to where it was.

Hollyfern was following Jaystorm.

Her belly was swollen with unborn kits, and she walked slowly, her face wincing with every step. Lilypaw figured it wouldn't be too long before she would give birth to the kits, and she tried to feel happy for her and Jaystorm but for some reason she couldn't.

"Hey!" Lilypaw called. Jaystorm and Hollyfern looked up, and Lilypaw was pleased to see his face lit up when she saw her. She also noticed that Hollyfern visibly scowled.

"Hey, Lilypaw," Jaystorm said kindly. "What's up?"

"It's time for the gathering," Lilypaw said numbly, unable to take her eyes off the round belly of Hollyfern. "I-er-was told to come get you."

"I didn't think the gathering was tonight," Jaystorm said. "I thought we usually go before dark."

"Darkclaws patrol got back very late," Lilypaw replied, deciding to give herself the benefit of the doubt and not mention she was on the same patrol. "We need to get going, now."

"Alright," Jaystorm mumbled. "If we go any later Greenclan will have more reasons to scorn us."

"Yeah," Lilypaw said, not knowing what he meant.

"Bye, Hollyfern," Jaystorm said, looking down at the she cat. "I'll check in with you once I'm back."

"Bye," Hollyfern said dully, speaking to Jaystorm but not taking her eyes off Lilypaw. Lilypaw was starting to get the feeling that something was a little off. She looked away and followed Jaystorm over to where the gathering patrol was sitting.

"What, did you stop to take a nap?" Gingertail snapped. "You took forever."

"Sorry," Lilypaw mumbled.

"Alright, let's not argue," Darkclaw sighed. "We need to keep focused. We don't know what the other clans will say about us being late."

"They probably started without us," Talonstrike put in. "So let's get going."

Lilypaw followed the cats out of the camp, excitement running through her veins. Her first gathering! _I wonder what it will be like, _she thought. She let the other cats run on a bit ahead, trying to pace herself. Lilypaw shut her eyes against the wind running through her pelt. _I wonder what it'd be like if I was blind, _she thought, stumbling slightly. _It be sure be weird, that's for sure. _

"What are you doing?"

Lilypaws eyes shot open to see Jaystorm walking beside her, looking more amused than ever.

"Were you trying to take a nap while walking?" Jaystorm asked.

"No," Lilypaw mumbled. "I was trying to- I was seeing- I actually don't know what I was doing."

"It looked silly," Jaystorm commented. Lilypaws pelt bristled in embarrassment. "I'm aware."

They walked in silence for a few minutes, a confusing tension hung over the air like smoke.

"I bet you're excited about Hollyfern having your kits," Lilypaw forced herself to say. "You must be looking forward to being a dad."

Jaystorm snorted.

"What?" Lilypaw asked, wondering if she hit some sort of nerve. "She'll be giving birth soon. Aren't you excited?"

Jaystorm sighed and looked around to make sure no one else was listening. "Alright, I haven't told anyone but Talonstrike and Darkclaw this, but you can know because you're my friend."

Lilypaw looked at him encouragingly, waiting for him to go on.

"I don't like Hollyfern in that way," Jaystorm said simply. Lilypaw gasped. "But...but she's having kits! And the father is going to be you!"

"Oh don't get me wrong," Jaystorm scoffed. "I'm gonna love those kits. I think I already do. But I don't love Hollyfern."

"Then why did you and her-"

"I was young and selfish," Jaystorm mumbled.

"Can I play with the kits when they're born?" Lilypaw mumbled quietly. Jaystorm looked down at her, smiling. "Yeah, you can," he said softly. "Whenever you want."

"As long as Hollyfern lets me," Lilypaw said lightly. "She doesn't seem to like me."

"That's because you're prettier than her," Jaystorm explained. "She hates cats who are."

"Oh," Lilypaw said, surprised he had given her such a nice compliment. "But if I-"

"YOU TWO WALK SLOWER THAN ELDERS!" Gingertail called. Lilypaw looked up with a jolt, alarmed that she and Jaystorm had fallen so far behind.

"We should probably pick up the pace," Jaystorm muttered, running a bit to catch up. Lilypaw scrambled after him.

"She's being kind, as always," Lilypaw said sarcastically when she caught up to him.

"She's just mad Amberpelt couldn't come on the patrol," Jaystorm said, amused. Lilypaw looked up at him, confused. "Well, why couldn't Amberpelt come?"

"It's not allowed," Jaystorm said. "One or the other can come, but not both at once."

"Why not? What happened?" Lilypaw demanded, eager to hear a story.

"I'll tell you about it later," Jaystorm whispered, looking ahead. "We're here."

Lilypaw looked ahead and gasped. A huge clearing had appeared, full of cats. Lilypaw had never seen so many cats, large and small, in a huge range of colors. Lilypaw noticed a pretty dark blue she cat sitting with her clan. Lilypaw marveled her beauty, and wished she had a beautiful blue pelt instead of boring brown.

"Nice of you to join us, Leafstar," a huge black tom called out from where he was sitting. Lilypaw noticed three cats sitting on a higher ledge than the rest. _Those must be the other leaders, _Lilypaw thought. Then she noticed the other three cats sitting a bit farther down, but still above the crowd. _And they must be the deputies! _

"We are sorry we are late," Leafstars voice rang out as she spoke to the cats in the gathering. She slowly walked forward to the high ledge. "We can assure it will not happen again."

"We almost started without you," the black cat growled. "Consider yourself lucky we had the courtesy to wait."

"Who's that?" Lilypaw whispered to Jaystorm.

"That's Halfstar," Jaystorm whispered back. "Greenclans leader."

"What kind of name is Halfstar?" Lilypaw mumbled. Jaystorm coughed to hide his laugh. "Look at his tail."

Lilypaw turned her head to see Halfstars tail. It was very short, Lilypaw guessed he lost half of it somehow.

"Let me guess, his warrior name was Halftail?" Lilypaw muttered to Jaystorm.

"Sh," Jaystorm shushed, but the gleam in his eyes told Lilypaw he was trying not to laugh.

"Who should begin the gathering?" another leader, a small silver she cat spoke. Lilypaw was surprised her voice rang loud and clear despite her small size.

"I'd like to start," the last leader, an older graying tom, spoke kindly.

"I WILL START THE GATHERING," Halfstar boomed. Lilypaw wondered if he had heard the old cat speak or was just simply ignoring him.

"Silver she cat is Silverstar," Jaystorm mumbled. "And the old brown and gray tom is Tanglestar."

"Will you two be _quiet?" _Talonstrike hissed, looked back at Lilypaw and Jaystorm. "Some of us are trying to listen!"

"Fleabag," Jaystorm mumbled.

"You're the fleabag," Talonstrike mumbled without looking back. Lilypaw noticed Talonstrikes shoulders were shaking from laughter. Lilypaw turned her attention back to the gathering.

"Greenclan is thriving," Halfstar was saying. "The stream is running, we have plenty of prey, and our clan is strong. We do have some bad news though," Halfstar said, twisting his face into a look of sadness. Lilypaw thought it looked more like he had a bad bellyache.

"Our deputy, Rowenheart has passed away," Halfstar continued. "He died in his sleep from a surprising outbreak of greencough."

Cats around the clearing started to murmur, some letting out startled gasps. Lilypaw had never met Rowenheart, but by the sounds of grief the other cats were making, she knew it was a great loss.

"Poor Rowenheart," Jaystorm muttered in Lilypaws ear. "He was probably the only good cat in Greenclan."

Lilypaw didn't know how to respond, she just nodded.

"However, Greenclan has not faltered," Halfstar said. "Last night we appointed our new deputy, Yellowpaw."

Lilypaw watched Yellowpaw stand up proudly from his spot next to the deputies. She wondered why she didn't put two and two together and recognize who he was earlier.

"Alright, Halfstar, if you're done your report, I'd like to make mine," Leafstar suddenly said.

"You were late, Leafstar," Halfstar growled. "I think you should go last."

"Since when do you make the decision around here?" Leafstar said coldly. "We're all leaders here, Halfstar. I don't think we bow to you."

"Fine, go," Halfstar shrugged. Even though she was sitting far away, Lilypaw could see the angry gleam in his eyes.

"Willowclan has never been better," Leafstar called out. "Everything's indifferent, nothing new has changed except the waiting of new kits-"

"I think something is different," Yellowpaw called out. The crowd and leaders went silent, and Leafstar looked down at Yellowpaw.

"Halfstar, please inform your deputy that it is inappropriate to interrupt a gathering," Leafstar said coldly. Halfstar didn't respond, just waited patiently.

"The fearsome four has a new member," Yellowpaw continued, rising to his paws. "Why doesn't Lilypaw stand up so everyone can see?"

Lilypaw sat rigid, stone cold fear shooting through her veins. She shrank down, feeling as though a hundred eyes were watching her. Lilypaw had never felt so small in her whole life.

"Stand up," Jaystorm whispered. "Just do it and get it over with."

Lilypaw raised on her shaking legs to face the crowd. "Hi," she squeaked.

And then the crowd went wild.

"She's nothing but a kit!" a cat called out.

"What's she doing with the fearsome four?"

"QUIET, EVERYONE!" Leafstar called out. The crowds roars turned to mutters, and then after a few moments turned silent altogether. Leafstar turned to Halfstar, eyes spitting rage. "That was very inappropriate," she hissed. "How dare you?"

Halfstar just shrugged.

The two leaders stood seething at each other for several moments, until Tanglestar gently cleared his throat. "Darkclan has had a recent outbreak of sickness," he said, his old voice rattled and croaked. He looked kind, and not near as threatening as Lilypaw imagined the Darkclan leader to be. Lilypaw liked him at once.

"Everyone survived the sickness," Tanglestar went on. "And now the Clan is plentiful once again. That's all for Darkclan."

"Treeclan has nothing new to report either," Silverstar put in. "Other than a few odd rogues straying into the territory, we have had no problems."

"Alright, if that is all, I think this gathering is over," Leafstar said. Her words were a dismissal, and Lilypaw saw cats all over the clearing rise to their paws. At once, Talonstrike turned to Jaystorm and Lilypaw.

"Are you okay?" he asked quietly. Lilypaw shook her head, looking down. "I'm fine, just caught a little off guard."

"Yellowpaw had no right whatsoever to put you on the spot like that," Talonstrike hissed. "Next time I run into him on a patrol I'm gonna have a word with him."

"Halfstar was acting a little strange too," Jaystorm put in mildly. "I've never seen him get so hostile at a _gathering, _of all places."

"The whole of Greenclan has been a bit off," Talonstrike said. "I mean, I don't know who they think they're fooling with Rowenheart dying of greencough."

"What's so weird about that?" Lilypaw asked.

"I just saw him two days ago and he was perfectly healthy," Talonstrike replied. Lilypaw was about to respond but then a sudden movement caught her eye. Darkclaw had jumped off his ledge was charging towards them.

"Did you guys see what just happened?" he exploded.

"No, we were too busy not paying attention," Jaystorm scoffed. "Oh course we saw what happened! We were just talking about it."

"I can not _believe _that Yellowpaw!" Darkclaw hissed. "He acts as though he owns the whole forest!"

"We need to be alert," Talonstrike nodded. "With the way they've been acting lately could be a forewarning of a future attack."

"Why would they want to attack us?" Lilypaw cried. "We haven't done anything wrong!"

"Let's just go back to camp," Darkclaw sighed. "It's late. We can talk about it in the morning."

"Unless anyone wants to stay and socialize?" Talonstrike said sarcastically.

"I think I'm gonna go strike up a friendly chat with Yellowpaw," Jaystorm said cheerfully.

"Maybe Halfstar will join you," Lilypaw rolled her eyes. "Won't that just be a fun conversation."

Jaystorm laughed and his eyes shined when he looked her. "How about we just go back to the camp," he said. "That seems like the best option."

Lilypaw was tired but she kept pace with the others, happiness running like lightning through her veins.

_He's so cute when he laughs._


	10. Secrets Unfold

I Fell In Love With My Apprentice

Chapter 10: Secrets Unfold

Lilypaw stifled a yawn, not wanting to show she was tired. It had been such a long day, the two hunting patrols had been exhausting enough. Now she was on the evening border patrol. _Evening patrol, ha! _Lilypaw thought. _We past 'evening' hours ago. I'm pretty much on the middle of the night patrol. _

"Why are we patrolling the borders this late?" Lilypaw asked. "I thought the evening patrol happened you know... in the evening."

"It should have," Talonstrike replied. "But _somebody _screwed up the patrol schedule."

Darkclaw sighed, knowing Talonstrike jibe was directed at him. "Sorry, I got mixed up," he mumbled.

"What did you do?" Lilypaw asked.

"He sent out an evening hunting patrol instead of a border patrol," Jaystorm broke in cheerfully.

"You don't need to sound so happy about it," Darkclaw muttered. "We're the ones who had to do the extra patrol."

"I don't mind," Jaystorm said. "I like night patrols. They get my senses heightened."

Talonstrike shoved into him, causing Jaystorm to stumble off balance.

"What was that for?" Jaystorm cried.

"I was heightening your senses," Talonstrike said, shooting a glance at Darkclaw. Darkclaw just snorted.

Lilypaws heart felt light. She liked it when her friends joked around with each other, instead of being angry and arguing about things she didn't understand. She walked happily side by side with Talonstrike and Jaystorm, with Darkclaw walking beside Jaystorm.

"Alright," Jaystorm whispered in an exaggerated voice. "We are coming close to the Greenclan border. Please refrain from yelling names across the border and please do not throw things at a patrol if there's one there."

"Will you stop that," Darkclaw sighed, looking away so the others wouldn't see him laugh.

"Oh we're in luck," Jaystorm said suddenly, looking straight ahead. "A patrol lays in wait."

Lilypaw followed his gaze, realizing with a jolt that there was a patrol of cats sitting on the border. Lilypaw inwardly groaned as she recognized Yellowpaw.

"Why are they just sitting there?" Talonstrike murmured, slowing his pace.

"It's almost as if they're waiting for us," Lilypaw mumbled back.

"I don't think so," Darkclaw whispered, slowing to a halt. "It looks like they're doing something."

Jaystorm, Lilypaw and Talonstrike stopped too, looking on.

"I don't think they saw us," Darkclaw mumbled. Lilypaw remained silent, looking on at the scene in front of her. Yellowpaw was dragging a cat by its scruff, through the dirt and leaves. Two other cats were helping, pulling the cat across the border.

"What are they _doing?" _Talonstrike hissed. Darkclaw raised his tail as a signal for him to keep silent. Lilypaw was confused. _Is the cat sleeping? _She wondered, looking on at the cat being dragged. _Or is he hurt?_

Then Darkclaw pelted forward, howling.

"What are you doing?" Lilypaw cried as Jaystorm and Talonstrike raced after him. Lilypaw didn't know what else to do, so she followed. The Greenclan patrol jumped up in surprise, their pelts bristling in fear.

Darkclaw stalked over to the body laying now on Willowclans side of the border. "What are you doing with this body?" he growled. Lilypaw started to get scared. She turned to Jaystorm, eyes wide. "Body?" she whispered. "Is he dead?"

Jaystorm nodded grimly. "That's Rowenheart."

Lilypaw gasped.

"I want an explanation, _now," _Darkclaw hissed, using a paw to clean the dirt streaked up Rowenhearts pelt.

The Greenclan patrol had obviously not planned out what would happen if they ran into them, so they remained mute.

"Out of all the acts of disrespect," Darkclaw spat disgustedly, closing Rowenhearts open eyes with a gentle claw. "This, has got to be the absolute worst. This is the most vile, repulsive thing I've ever witnessed."

Jaystorm slowly walked over to the body of the dead deputy, and smoothed his ruffled fur. "You don't sit vigil for your dead cats?" he hissed at the stricken patrol. "You just dump them on the territory of your enemy clans?"

Yellowpaw finally opened his mouth to speak, but Darkclaw cut him off. He was staring down at Rowenhearts throat. "There's a cut here," he hissed. "You said he died of greencough! You... you killed him!" his voice rang out into a slight wail. "How could you do this-"

"We didn't kill him," Yellowpaw said quietly. "You did."

"That's nonsense," Jaystorm hissed.

"No, it makes sense," Yellowpaw said slowly. "He's on your territory. He has your scent all over him."

"You killed him, you worthless excuse of a cat," Darkclaw growled. "You killed him and dragged him over our border."

"Well who's gonna believe you," Yellowpaw whispered. And then with that, he turned around and streaked through the trees, the other two cats following. Darkclaw slowly turned to Lilypaw, who's mouth was hanging open in pure astonishment.

"Poor Rowenheart," Darkclaw said quietly. "Poor, poor Rowenheart."

"We need to get rid of his body," Talonstrike said numbly. Jaystorm, Lilypaw and Darkclaw turned to stare at him.

"What?" Jaystorm said at last.

"Yellowpaw was right, it looks like we killed him," Talonstrike continued slowly. "He's on our territory, his throat has been slashed, and now Jaystorm and Darkclaws scent is all over him."

Jaystorm stopped cleaning Rowenhearts pelt with a jolt. "I was trying to give him a little bit of respect!" he cried defensively.

"So was I," Darkclaw nodded grimly, stepping away from Rowenheart as well. "I didn't realize it would be a problem."

"Well, it is," Talonstrike whispered. "We need to get rid of him. Before morning."

"Is this really happening?" Lilypaw said quietly, staring at the ground. "We're actually going to hide the body of a warrior?"

"We have no choice," Talonstrike said slowly. "If we leave him here, everyone will assume that it was us who killed him."

"But why can't we just tell the truth?" Lilypaw said desperately. "We're the fearsome four for Starclans sake!"

"It doesn't matter who we are," Darkclaw said. "All evidence points to us."

"So what do we do?" Jaystorm asked. Talonstrike and Darkclaw exchanged a look, one Lilypaw didn't understand. They stood in silence for several moments, staring at each other. Finally Darkclaw cleared his throat. "Conference," he said. Talonstrike nodded grimly and leaned in closer to Darkclaw. Jaystorm did the same, and Lilypaw was just in the process of leaning her head in too when Darkclaw awkwardly coughed.

"This conference is just for us, Lilypaw," he said. "I'd appreciate it if you didn't listen."

Lilypaw sighed. "I'm too freaked out to be angry about that," she mumbled, walking away. "Just don't take too long."

...

"Okay, I have a plan," Darkclaw whispered. Talonstrike looked over his shoulder to see if Lilypaw had walked out of earshot. She was. Talonstrike turned back to Darkclaw. "What is this plan?"

"We hide her in that place," Darkclaw said, giving a knowing eye.

"What place?" Talonstrike hissed, not catching on.

"You know," Darkclaw said slowly. "That one _place."_

"Will you just get to the point?" Jaystorm sighed. "I don't have the slightest freaking clue what you're trying to say."

Darkclaw didn't reply, just kept staring at Talonstrike. Finally, after several painfully long moments, he caught on. "Oh," he said at last. "_That _place."

"What place?" Jaystorm cried. "And why couldn't Lilypaw join in the conference?"

"I want you to take her back to the camp," Darkclaw said to Jaystorm. "She doesn't need to be a part of this."

"Idiot," Jaystorm swore and tore up clumps of leaves with his claws. "She's already a part of it!"

"He's right," Talonstrike said mildly. "We're in too deep. She's seen too much."

"So what do you suppose we do?" Darkclaw sighed. "Let my apprentice help drag a body through the forest? She'd be forever scarred."

Talonstrike looked over at Lilypaw, who was gently caressing the dead warriors flank. "I think she has already been scarred," he whispered sadly. "Shutting her out now would just add confusion to the horrible mix."

"So it's decided?" Jaystorm asked cautiously. "She comes with us?"

Talonstrike and Darkclaw nodded somberly. "She comes," Talonstrike said grimly.

"So where are we taking Rowenheart again?" Jaystorm prodded, narrowing his eyes.

"Conference," Darkclaw said to Talonstrike. Jaystorm watched in disbelief as the two toms started to walk away. Jaystorm hissed and stomped after them. "You can't have a conference in the middle of a conference!" he snapped. "Tell me what's going on."

Darkclaw sighed, and took a deep breath. "There's tunnels," he mumbled. "Leading to a secret place underground."

Talonstrike glared at him. "We aren't supposed to talk about it!" he hissed.

"Well he's gonna figure it out by the end of the night!" Darkclaw growled back. Then he turned back to Jaystorm, who was waiting impatiently.

"There's a secret tunnel in the middle of Greenclan territory," Darkclaw continued, ignoring the hisses from Talonstrike. "Talonstrike, Amberpelt, Gingertail and I found it one day. It leads far underground, for as long as you can imagine. We'll take Rowenheart in there, hide him, and no one will ever know."

"And why couldn't you talk to anyone about this?" Jaystorm demanded. "What's so terrible about secret tunnels?"

Darkclaw exchanged an uneasy glance with Talonstrike. "They are not what they seem," he whispered. "There's bad things in there."

"Like what?"

"There's just something strange in the tunnels, alright?" Darkclaw snapped. "End of conversation. End of conference."

"Let's go tell Lilypaw," Talonstrike sighed."

...

"You took forever," Lilypaw snapped the second her three friends walked back over. "I thought the sun would be up by the time you finished."

"We had to contemplate a lot of stuff," Darkclaw replied. "Now come on, we're losing time."

Lilypaw watched, feeling an eerie feeling rise in her chest as Darkclaw and Talonstrike pick up Rowenheart with their teeth. His head lolled over, forever lifeless. Lilypaw felt horridly sorry for the young tom.

"Do you want any help?" Lilypaw asked, not wanting to help at all.

"We got it," "Jaystorm grunted. Lilypaw followed them over the Greenclan border, starting to get frightened again. "What if Yellowpaws patrol comes by again?" she whispered.

"After what Yellowpaw just did, he won't be wandering the forest anymore tonight," Talonstrike replied.

"So, where are we going to hide him?" Lilypaw asked the dreaded question.

"There's tunnels under Greenclan," Darkclaw explained reluctantly. "We're going to hide him in there."

"Then that..." Lilypaw broke off as a realization dawned over her. "That explains why your tracks disappeared that one time!"

"Yeah, that was it," Talonstrike grunted. Despite the evenings terrible events, Lilypaw smiled. _Well that explains a lot, _she thought. _I've been wondering about that ever since Jaystorm told me the story. _Lilypaw followed them through the trees, looking around her. The dense Greenclan forest wasn't comforting like Willowclan. It didn't have that safe sense that she always felt in her camp. Greenclan was frightening, and Lilypaw shuddered. She just wanted to get this over with so she could go home. Finally, after what seemed like forever, Darkclaw stopped walking, dropping Rowenheart gently onto the ground. Lilypaw was confused. "Are we here?" she whispered. She looked around, not understanding where the tunnel was. The ground was grassy, and smooth. Darkclaw nodded to a small rabbit hole in the ground.

"It's right there," he said grimly. Lilypaw stared in disbelief at the rabbit hole, wondering just how the heck a cat could fit in there.

"That really leads underground?" Lilypaw asked after a few moments. Darkclaw nodded. "It sure does," he said quietly.

"How do you fit in there?" Lilypaw demanded.

"I'll demonstrate," Talonstrike said, leaning down. Lilypaw watched as he stuffed his head into the small rabbit hole, wiggling around. Soon his shoulders were in, and then his front legs. He wiggled a little bit more, and then in a flash he was gone. Lilypaws heart dropped and her legs started to shake. "That leads straight down?" she gulped. Darkclaw nodded, looking at her closely. "You don't have to do this," he whispered. Lilypaw shook her head quickly. "No. I'll help you," she whispered, peering down into the hole.

"The dirt is soft," Darkclaw explained. "It molds around your body."

"Lovely," Lilypaw choked. "I'll let you go next."

"Jaystorm can go next," Darkclaw said. "He's never done this before either. I'll go last to make sure you both get down safely."

Jaystorm cautiously approached the hole, looking into it. "Is it really far down?" he asked Darkclaw.

"It's a bit of a jump," Darkclaw admitted. "But it's not too bad."

Lilypaw had a nagging question lingering in the back of her mind, but she couldn't figure out what it was. She tried to ignore it, and watched Jaystorm squeeze into the hole.

"It's really small!" he grunted.

"Wiggle around to let the dirt loosen up," Darkclaw instructed. Jaystorm did as he was told, and like Talonstrike, he soon shoved his front paws in and dragged himself the rest of the way. Lilypaw heard a slight thump, and she felt sick to her stomach.

"Your turn," Darkclaw murmured. On shaking legs, Lilypaw walked directly in front of the hole. Her body trembled, and she felt like she wanted to cry. "I'm scared," Lilypaw whispered. Darkclaws gaze softened. "You know, I don't think I've ever heard you say that before," he said quietly. "I thought you were the cat of no fear."

"I'm not," Lilypaw sighed. "I'm terrified."

"I'm right here," Darkclaw said. "I will help you. And Jaystorm and Talonstrike are waiting for you at the bottom, they'll help you too."

"You're a good friend," Lilypaw whispered, and then with a shaking breath, she pushed her head into the hole. She shoved herself forward, relieved to find that her small size helped her greatly. Lilypaw shifted from side to side and with a massive effort, yanked her small paws through the dirt.

Then she looked down.

Jaystorm and Talonstrike seemed to be a zillion tail lengths away, looking up at her. Lilypaw felt her eyes water in fear.

"You can do it!" Talonstrike called. "We believe in you!"

Lilypaw gritted her teeth, closed her eyes and pushed the rest of her body through. She landed on the dirty rock floor with a thump, but she breathed a sigh of relief. _I did it, _she thought happily, looking up at the small hole in the roof of the ceiling. _And if I can do that it will be no problem getting - _Lilypaw was suddenly struck with a terrible question, the one she had nagging in her mind only moments before.

"How are we getting out?" Lilypaw cried. Jaystorm gasped, he had not thought about this either.

"Relax," Talonstrike said calmly. "There's another tunnel that's easy to get out of. It leads into our territory too."

"Oh thank Starclan," Lilypaw sighed. She jumped as another thump hit the floor, fearing the worst. Lilypaw screamed as the cat splatted on the floor. She relaxed slightly as she realized it was just Rowenheart. Moments later, Darkclaw fell to the floor beside him.

"Well, the worst parts over with," he commented.

"How on earth did you find this place?" Lilypaw asked, looking around. There was caves leading in every possible direction, like a maze. Lilypaw figured it would be easy to get lost in.

"Well, I didn't find it," Darkclaw admitted. "Gingertails father, Fireface did. He showed it to her, who showed it to me, who showed to Talonstrike -"

"We get it," Jaystorm interrupted. "Now can we please get going? Cat's will be waking up soon."

"Alright," Talonstrike and Darkclaw picked up Rowenheart and walked to the middle tunnel.

They all walked in silence, taking so many swerves and branches through tunnels Lilypaws head started to spin. "What if we get lost?" Lilypaw muttered to Jaystorm.

"We won't," Jaystorm replied. But he didn't sound as confident as Lilypaw had hoped him to be. Then Darkclaw dropped Rowenheart, looking ahead. "We'll leave him here," he said at last. Lilypaw looked on at a smooth nest shape curve in the rock. It looked like a nest in the apprentices den, only without the soft moss and leaves.

"It seems wrong to leave him down here," she mumbled.

"We have no choice," Talonstrike said sadly. "He'll rest in peace down here, Lilypaw. Don't worry."

"It's so cold and dark," Lilypaw whispered. "This isn't right."

"Lilypaw, he's dead," Darkclaw said gently. "This is the best we can do."

"Let's get out of here," Talonstrike said after placing Rowenheart in his makeshift nest. "This place is giving me the chills."

"Yes, lets," Darkclaw nodded somberly and started to lead the way out. Lilypaw gave one last look at Rowenheart, peacefully laying on the stone. _You were a good cat, _Lilypaw thought, even though she never knew him. _I hope you find a better life in Starclan. _Then she turned and followed the others out of the tunnel. They walked silently for a while, Lilypaw was quietly thinking to herself. Then she realized something.

"We've been walking for a while," Lilypaw commented. Darkclaw defensively bristled his fur. "We're not lost," he snapped.

"I didn't say we were," Lilypaw said, starting to have a dreadful feeling that they really were lost.

"Are you sure you know the way back?" Jaystorm asked hesitantly.

"Yes," Darkclaw snapped. "We're here, now."

Lilypaw breathed a sigh of relief, but then she realized she had gotten hopeful too soon. She was standing in a clearing where they started out, but something was off. Looking around, Lilypaw looked for the source of the problem. She found it when she looked up at the roof. The was no hole where they could have jumped in.

"Maybe someone put a rock over it," Lilypaw said, trying to be helpful.

"No they didn't," Jaystorm said, voice getting high pitched. "We're _lost."_

"No we aren't," Darkclaw hissed, glaring at Jaystorm. "I know exactly where we are!"

"Then get us out!" Jaystorm cried shrilly. Lilypaw was starting to panic. "I want to get out!" she wailed.

"I'll get us out!" Darkclaw snarled, stalking through the first tunnel he looked at.

No one followed.

"Maybe we should split up," Talonstrike suggest. Lilypaw gasped. "That's a terrible idea!"

"Then what do you suppose we do?" Talonstrike asked angrily. Lilypaw noticed even Talonstrike looked scared.

"Let's just see where this goes," Darkclaw said, taking a few deep breaths. "We have nothing to lose."

"Fine, let's go," Talonstrike said at last. "One of these tunnels has to lead out eventually."

Lilypaw opened her mouth to respond but stopped as she heard a wail.

"Who did that?" she whispered. Everyone went dead silent, looking around.

Then it wailed again.

"Run!" Darkclaw screamed, darting forward into a tunnel. Talonstrike started to run too, but he charged through a different tunnel.

"Wait!" Lilypaw cried as Jaystorm ran through yet another tunnel. "Wait!"


	11. Help Me

I Fell In Love With My Apprentice

Chapter 11: Help Me

Lilypaw desperately looked back and forth at the three tunnels, completely unsure of what to do. _Wait, Darkclaw and Talonstrike have been in here before, _she thought frantically. _Jaystorm hasn't... he'll be lost and scared! _It took Lilypaw a split second what to do. Taking a deep breath, she raced for the tunnel that Jaystorm ran into. She saw him quite a ways up, weaving as he ran. Lilypaw knew he was frightened, but there was no time to think about that. As Lilypaws paws pounded the rock floor, her claws ripped painfully. The stone walls creaked and groaned, as if they were crying.

"Jaystorm!" Lilypaw shrieked. "Slow down!"

This seemed to freak Jaystorm out even more. He darted to the side, and Lilypaw figured he smashed into a wall. Lilypaw streaked forward, expecting to see him crumpled on the ground. However, when Lilypaw reached the point where he turned, she groaned. Jaystorm hadn't run into a wall, there was a detour in the tunnel. It branched off into a hugely smaller tunnel, leading into darkness. Lilypaw had to crawl to fit, and she wondered briefly how Jaystorm was moving so quickly with his larger size.

"Jaystorm!" Lilypaw called again. Then she heard thrashing, and she realized with dread that she had spooked the poor tom.

"It's me!" Lilypaw cried. "Lilypaw!"

The thrashing stopped, followed by silence.

"Lilypaw?" he whispered. His voice eerily bounced off the walls, chilling Lilypaws spine.

"Yeah," Lilypaw said, moving forward.

The tunnel got tighter.

"Lilypaw, don't come any farther," Jaystorm called. "It's too small."

"I'm coming to get you," Lilypaw grunted, pushing her way forward. _How on earth did he manage to squeeze his way in that far? _Lilypaw thought as the roof of the tunnel scraped painfully into her back.

"Lilypaw," Jaystorm said again. This time Lilypaw stopped, he had a tone in his voice that she didn't understand.

"What?" she asked cautiously.

"I'm stuck."

"Just crawl backwards!" Lilypaw said. Her suggestion was followed by shuffling and grunts. Finally he swore. "I can't!" he cried. "Get Talonstrike and Darkclaw!"

"And what good will they do?" Lilypaw was starting to get very scared. "They're bigger than you! Not to mention I have absolutely no idea where they are!"

"I want to get out," Jaystorm whispered.

"Well, I'm gonna get you out," Lilypaw said, hoping she sounded confident. "Try to wiggle around."

"I can't do that!" Jaystorm hissed. "There's barely enough room to breathe!"

"Then I'll go try to find the others," Lilypaw said at last, starting to crawl backwards. "Maybe they'll know what to do."

"No!" Jaystorm cried. Lilypaw stopped moving and waited for him to continue. When he didn't she sighed and kept going.

"Don't leave me," Jaystorm whispered. "Please."

"We need to get you out of there," Lilypaw said quietly. "And I don't know how. We need help," then she started making her way backwards again.

"Lilypaw, _please," _Jaystorm cried, his voice hitting a desperate note. Lilypaw stared into the darkness, all traces of her fear gone. She slowly crawled forward, gritting her teeth as she shoved her way through the tiny tunnel.

"What are you doing?" Jaystorm asked in panic. "You'll get stuck too!"

"I'm small enough to get out," Lilypaw said, voice strained as she dragged herself forward. "Don't worry," she crawled up until she reached Jaystorms tail, hoping she wouldn't spook him again. She gently placed a paw over his tail, making him jump in surprise. When he realized it was just her, he relaxed. Lilypaw rested her head down on his tail, and closed her eyes. "We're gonna get out of here," she murmured.

"I know," Jaystorm whispered. "I just don't see how."

...

Darkclaw ran through the tunnel, gasping for breath. _How do I get out of here? _He thought frantically. _There's tunnels leading every possible direction! _He turned and wove through a tunnel to the right, then to the left. _There's no way out of here! _He inwardly groaned as he came upon a clearing with four tunnels branching out of it. He charged through the one on the far left, figuring it didn't really make a difference.

"Darkclaw."

Darkclaw stopped dead and looked around. He didn't see anyone, but that was probably because everything was pitch black.

"Who's there?" Darkclaw called.

"You're going the wrong way," it said.

"Talonstrike, if that's you, this is no time for jokes," Darkclaw called, backing up. The fur on his back bristled, and he unsheathed his claws.

"You're going the wrong way," it repeated, laughing at the end. Darkclaw stood rigid. The thing talking to him had a female's voice.

"Lilypaw?" he said, voice breaking. "Is that you?"

"No," was all it said. Darkclaw was starting to get spooked. He darted back down the tunnel, and nearly had a heart attack when he ran face first into a solid stone wall.

"Dead end, Darkclaw," the voice giggled. Darkclaw spun around, trying to backtrack. He couldn't find the tunnel. Slowly, he stood still, looking around.

"Where do I go?" he whispered.

"Look up."

Darkclaw looked up at once, at first not understanding. The roof was dark, just like the rest of the walls. Darkclaw could see a few specks of dirt on the roof, but then a thought hit him. _Specks can't glow! _He squinted his eyes, and tried to figure it out what it was.

_STARS!_

Darkclaw had never felt so relieved in his whole life. _There's a way out! _He thought. _But wait... _Darkclaws feeling of relief disappeared. _How am I going to climb out of the roof of this place?_

"How do I get out?" Darkclaw asked the voice. "It's too dark to see anything."

"Well, wait for the morning then," the voice replied. Darkclaw figured that was a good enough idea.

"Thank you," he called to the voice. "Whoever you are."

His only reply was a breeze, chilling Darkclaw to the bone.

...

Talonstrike ran until he had no breath. He stumbled into a clearing, gasping for air. He slumped into the rock wall and shut his eyes. _Why is this happening, _he thought desperately. _Is this a punishment for keeping the tunnels a secret? Well, it's working! _Talonstrike thought angrily. _Don't you think you've punished me enough? _

He was woken out of his thoughts as a raindrop hit his head.

Talonstrike opened his eyes, utterly confused. _Rocks can't rain, _he thought. _That means... _Talonstrike whipped his head up, staring at the ceiling.

Another raindrop hit his chin.

_An exit! _Talonstrike thought excitedly. _I found an exit! _Talonstrike was then under the sudden realization that it was much too high to reach.

_Crap!_

Talonstrike sighed and lowered his head again.

He was just in the process of closing his eyes, figuring he would take a well earned nap when he was hit again.

This time, by a stream of water, running on his head. He stepped away, listening to the water splash all over the rock floor. It pooled under his paws, making them cold. _As if this could get any better, _he thought angrily, shaking his paws in a failed attempt to dry them off. Talonstrike walked irritably to a corner in the tunnel, where it was dry. He longed for the warm nest in the warriors den, hating the feel of the icy stone. The running water sounded like a waterfall, echoing around the cave. He was dimly aware he was missing something vital. It finally came to him once the water pooled enough to reach him in the corner. Talonstrike stood up in alarm, suddenly terrified.

_I need to get out before it floods! _He thought desperately. _I need to find the others! _

...

Lilypaw woke up with a jolt, suddenly aware something was off. She patted Jaystorms tail until he snorted, and sneezed. "What?" he mumbled.

"Something is running over the roof of the tunnel," she whispered, listening to the tiny drumming sounds coming from above. Jaystorm stopped and listened too.

"Maybe it's a bunch of little mice," Lilypaw suggested. Jaystorm laughed. "No, that's ridiculous. "It's probably a bunch of bugs."

"That's silly," Lilypaw giggled, happy that they were finally telling jokes. "A herd of tiny mice sounds much more believable."

"Maybe it's minuscule dogs," Jaystorm said mystically. "Or maybe a cat is sitting directly over us, tapping the ground."

Lilypaw opened her mouth to respond but stopped with a jolt as something icy crawled around her belly. She shuffled a bit back, and realized with horror what it was.

"Maybe Talonstrike and Darkclaw found their way out and are tapping a message in morse code," Jaystorm suggested happily.

"Jaystorm, its-"

"Don't ask how I know morse code, it's just one of those random things I learned."

"Jaystorm, I really think-"

"If you want I can teach it to you. Dash dot dash dot dot-"

"Jaystorm! This is-"

"That meant tree in morse code."

"JAYSTORM!" Lilypaw screamed. "THE TUNNELS ARE FLOODING!"

"What are you talking abou-" Jaystorm shrieked as he finally felt the water. Lilypaw forced herself backwards, ignoring the rock digging into her back.

"Try to wiggle out!" Lilypaw said desperately. "Or you'll drown!"

Jaystorm thrashed and kicked, but it was only in vain. He was really stuck.

"I can't!" Jaystorm cried.

"Try!" Lilypaw screamed.

"I did!"

Lilypaw felt the water start to rise. "Well, try HARDER!" she shrieked. Jaystorm pushed and shoved, not moving an inch. Lilypaw had to lay on her belly in the tunnel, and she could already feel the water tickling her chin.

"There's a rock digging into me," Jaystorm grunted, still shoving.

"You're just not trying hard enough!" Lilypaw cried, lunging forward. She clamped her teeth around Jaystorms tail and bit down hard. Jaystorm shrieked. "HOW IS THAT HELPING?" he cried.

"BLOCK OUT THE PAIN!" Lilypaw cried, choking on the water. "JUST IGNORE THE ROCK!"

"It hurts really bad," Jaystorm whispered.

Lilypaw bit him again.

"ALRIGHT!" Jaystorm hissed, giving a huge shove. This time he made it a few inches, Lilypaw had to back up to give him room.

"I did it," he whispered.

"Fantastic, now let's _go!" _Lilypaw started moving as fast as she could out of the tunnel. Jaystorm followed, moving a bit slower. Lilypaw realized with horror she had to hold her head up to keep out the water. Then there was a splash, and Lilypaw fell on her back into a puddle of water. Jaystorm fell on top of her, pushing her under. He got up at once and helped her up.

"Sorry," he said.

"Don't worry about it," Lilypaw coughed, shaking her head to get off some of the water. "Now let's get out of here before we both drown."

"It's getting lighter in here," Jaystorm commented as they ran/swam through the tunnels. "I can actually kind of see where I'm going."

"There has to be an exit around here somewhere," Lilypaw said. "We just have to find it."

"We tried to find it all night," Jaystorm said quietly.

"Don't think that way," Lilypaw snapped. "We have to stay positive," her sentence was cut short as a huge splash of water fell on her head. "Where did that come from?" she cried, blinking the water out of her eyes.

"Up there," Jaystorm looked up, and Lilypaw did the same. It was the same hole they had used to get in the tunnels.

"How are we gonna get up there?" Lilypaw cried as another huge splash of water hit her. "And why do I keep getting splashed and not you?"

"I'm not standing in front of the hole," Jaystorm replied. Then his face turned horror struck. "Rowenheart is going to float out of his spot," he whispered.

"Did you really have to say that?" Lilypaw groaned, figuring she had enough problems without having to worry about a dead cat floating around.

"Sorry," Jaystorm mumbled. "I just thought of it."

"Never mind Rowenheart," Lilypaw whispered. "Where are Talonstrike and Darkclaw?"

"Well, I'm right here," a new voice made Lilypaw and Jaystorm jump. Lilypaw looked around, feeling a huge sense of relief wash over her as she recognized Talonstrike. He was soaking wet and was holding up one of his front paws.

"I slipped and sprained it," Talonstrike said. "I think it may be broken."

"Out of all the times to break your leg, you pick now?" Jaystorm cried.

"Well it's not like I just chose to!" Talonstrike growled.

"Guys!" Lilypaw cried. "Now is not the time to be arguing!"

"Right," Jaystorm nodded. "Talonstrike, have you seen Darkclaw?"

"No," Talonstrike said worriedly. "I didn't even know where you two were, I just stumbled upon you by mistake."

"Well, we need to get out of here," Lilypaw said desperately. "But we can't leave Darkclaw behind."

"We may not have a choice," Talonstrike muttered. "We're running out of time."

"We can't let him drown!" Lilypaw shrieked.

"We can't let _ourselves _drown!" Talonstrike replied. Lilypaw realized with dread that he was right. They had to swim to keep their heads above water now, and Lilypaw had a terrible feeling that they were very close to running out of time. Then Jaystorm let out a cry of alarm, and Lilypaw turned her head to see what it was. A cat had washed its way out of a tunnel, flopping belly first on the surface.

"Is it Rowenheart?" Lilypaw asked, scared.

"Nope," the cat raised its head and sneezed. "It's just me."

"Darkclaw!" Talonstrike cried. "Thank Starclan!"

"How did you find us?" Jaystorm asked.

"The water just carried me over here," Darkclaw explained. "How did you all find each other?"

"I came in here and found these two," Talonstrike said. "Talk about a stroke of luck."

"No kidding," Darkclaw murmured. Lilypaw noticed Darkclaw shoot a glance at Jaystorm, but there was no time to contemplate it.

"Do you think we can get out of that hole?" Lilypaw asked desperately, looking back and forth at the three of them.

"If you somehow manage to grow wings," Talonstrike mumbled, kicking furiously. His lame leg was dragging him down, his head kept bobbing in and out of the water.

"Lean on me," Lilypaw said, swimming over to him. Talonstrike opened his mouth to protest but stopped when he realized he didn't have much of a choice. He leaned down heavily on Lilypaw, who was startled by the huge amount of extra weight. She thrashed her legs to keep them both afloat, willing herself not to stop.

"The dirt is softening up there," Darkclaw said, looking up. "The water could rise us up."

"Are you daft?" Talonstrike said. "We could barely climb into the hole, let alone crawl up out of it with no support."

"Do you have a better idea?" Jaystorm snapped.

"We don't have much of a choice," Darkclaw said as a huge amount of water poured in. "Soon it's gonna-"

He was cut off as a waterfall of angry water streamed in, filling up the rest of the cave. Lilypaw was horrified to find herself plunged underwater. She kicked with all her strength to the top, getting very scared.

Her head hit stone underwater.

Lilypaw knew she was trapped.

She opened her eyes in the blurry water, trying to make sense of what was going on. She dimly saw Darkclaw climbing his way out of the hole in the roof, followed by Jaystorm. _Wait, _Lilypaw thought.

_Where's Talonstrike?_

Lilypaw frantically looked around, growing desperate for air but determined not to leave Talonstrike behind. She looked down, and started to panic. Talonstrike was kicking the water with his good legs, but it was obvious his broken one was weighing him down. He thrashed and thrashed, but he kept sinking. Lilypaw forced herself to swim down, realizing with a painful dread her vision was starting to flicker into blackness. Her legs were going dead numb and her vision was fading away, when she felt something pushing her up. She blearily looked down, not understanding what was going on. She recognized the black and brown pelt of Darkclaw, but her body refused to move. She let Darkclaw push her up, and her head hit a soft surface. Rough teeth promptly met her scruff and painfully dragged her out of the tight dirt hole. She gasped for air, breathing as fast as she could to make up for lost oxygen. She lay panting on the grass for several seconds, trying to understand what just happened. She looked beside her, to see Jaystorm laying beside her with his eyes shut. She reached over, and it took all her strength to gently touch him on his back. His eyes fluttered open at once, and he looked tiredly at her.

"I tried to save Talonstrike," Lilypaw whispered, voice hoarse. "I really did. But I just couldn't do it."

"Lilypaw, Talonstrike is going to be fine," Jaystorm replied quietly. "Darkclaw dived back in to save him."

"He wouldn't have had to if I saved him," Lilypaw said angrily.

"You attempted the greatest act of a savior that I have ever seen," Jaystorm said slowly. "If you hadn't gone after him, no one would have noticed he was struggling."

"I guess," Lilypaw whispered.

"And you let Talonstrike lean on you when we were trying to keep above the water," Jaystorm smiled. "He will be forever grateful to you."

"Yeah," was all Lilypaw could say. They laid in silence for several heartbeats before Lilypaw spoke again.

"They're taking a really long time," she whispered. "Do you think they're okay?"

"They are," Jaystorm mumbled, sounding way more doubtful that Lilypaw would have wanted. Her pelt started to chill as she came into the realization that her friends may have drowned.

"Maybe I should go help," Lilypaw tried to get up, but it felt like her bones were made of stone. Her head swam like a fish and when she tried to stand, sparkles sparked her vision. She flopped back down, gasping. Then Jaystorm got up suddenly, and shakily stumbled over to the hole.

"I see someone!" Jaystorm cried. Lilypaw forced herself to her paws and made her way over, nearly blacking out in the process. She looked down into the hole, to see the strained face of Talonstrike pushing his way out. The second his ears came out, Jaystorm leaned down and grabbed him by the scruff. He yanked and pulled, the dead weight of Talonstrike made it a lot more difficult. Finally, he came out, and Jaystorm lay him quickly on the ground. Lilypaw collapsed again, too weak to move. However, she forced herself to watch and make sure Darkclaw got out. She thanked Starclan as another set of ears poked out, and Jaystorm yet again leaned down and pulled out the ragged body of Darkclaw. Once everyone was safe, Jaystorm stumbled over to Talonstrike.

"We need to get you back to the camp," he said. "Rainsong needs to take a look at your leg."

"Yeah," Talonstrike choked, opening his eyes into slits. "We should go. It's almost morning, after all."

"Come on," Darkclaw said, voice barely audible as he slowly stumbled forward. "Let's go home."


	12. Broken and Bruised

I Fell In Love With My Apprentice

Chapter 12: Broken and Bruised

The sun was just starting to rise when they got back into the camp, ragged and torn. Lilypaw could only imagine what they looked like, Talonstrike holding up his broken front leg, half of Jaystorms claws were torn out. Darkclaw moved so stiffly it hurt to watch him, and Lilypaw looked as if she had just risen from the dead.

"Well, we're here," she said quietly, looking into the peaceful Willowclan camp. No one was in the clearing, she figured everyone was safely sleeping in their dens.

"Good thing no one can see us," Talonstrike commented. Lilypaw nodded her agreement. On top of all their injuries, they were all soaking wet and dirty. Jaystorm slowly padded over to the warriors den. "Let's get some sleep," he said without looking back. Lilypaw yawned, feeling dead tired.

"Everyone will be waking up soon though," Darkclaw said.

"Well we can't just sit around and wait for that," Jaystorm sighed.

"What do we tell everyone what happened to us when they ask?" Lilypaw asked slowly, her tired brain was unable to contemplate this before.

"We'll tell them Talonstrike fell into the creek by the Treeclan border," Jaystorm said.

"Well that explains his broken leg and wet fur but what about the rest of us?" Lilypaw asked.

"You three decided to go swimming? I don't know," Jaystorm shook his head. "I'm about to pass out any second, I'll see you in the morning."

"Goodnight," Lilypaw said, turning around. She walked to the apprentices den and pushed her way inside, hoping she didn't wake anyone up. She curled into a ball next to the others, trying not to press her sodden pelt against them. She was just looking out at the first rays of sunlight when she fell asleep.

...

Lilypaw flinched as Rainsong gently touched her flank with a sheathed paw. She ran it over her spine, sending tingles running through her veins.

"Your muscles are very stiff," Rainsong said quietly. "It looks as though you've fought a battle overnight."

"Nope, no battles," Lilypaw mumbled, not meeting the medicine cats eyes. "Just a hectic patrol."

"I know," Rainsong murmured, looking down to examine Lilypaws paws. "I just don't understand. How do you manage to bruise your whole body on a patrol?" she gasped when she say the state of Lilypaws swollen paws. "And you've torn out half your claws!"

Lilypaw shrugged awkwardly, not wanting to talk about it. "I guess I just beat myself up a bit."

Rainsong stepped away from Lilypaw and looked her in the eye. "I don't know what you did last night," she said knowingly. "And I don't want to know."

"I went on the evening patrol," Lilypaw lied feebly. "That's all that happened."

"I know that's not true," Rainsong said, shaking her head. "I examined Jaystorm and Talonstrike already. They both told me the same story you did - they went on a patrol."

"Yeah, so?" Lilypaw said, not knowing where this was going.

"Talonstrikes front leg was broken in two different places," Rainsong continued. "Jaystorms spine was swollen and bruised. And I'm sure when I look at Darkclaw, he'll be in the same battered state."

Lilypaw gulped, realizing Rainsong didn't believe for one second that they went on a patrol.

"I'm not going to get you in trouble," Rainsong said softly. "Just promise me something?"

"Okay," Lilypaw said, ashamed.

"Be careful with them," Rainsong smiled sadly. "Sometimes I get the feeling those three treat you like a strong full grown cat. They've grown so accustomed to you being brave and full of courage. I don't think they see anymore how young you are."

"Well, I'm not a kit," Lilypaw sighed.

"I know," Rainsong replied. They sat in silence for several seconds, before Rainsong smiled unexpectedly.

"What?" Lilypaw asked.

"Talonstrike and Jaystorm spoke very fondly of you," Rainsong commented. "Especially Talonstrike."

"Oh?" this was surprising to Lilypaw. "What did he say?"

"Many things," Rainsong said.

"Are you going to tell me what they are?"

"No," Rainsong winked. "It was a private conversation. But you should know, Lilypaw, that Talonstrike thinks of you as a his best friend."

"Really?" Lilypaw gasped, shocked. "I thought Darkclaw was his best friend."

"He is, in a sense," Rainsong said slowly. "But there are secrets between them, secrets that make them wary of one another."

"That is so kind that he thinks of me that way," Lilypaw said, feeling lighter then she had all day. "What did Jaystorm say about me?"

"Oh, now I can't talk about that," Rainsong said, eyes sparkling. "But something tells me he'll tell you himself one day."

Despite her aching bones and sore muscles, Lilypaws heart started to pound. "Tell me what he said!" she shrieked.

"I will never tell," Rainsong said solemnly.

"Can I have a hint?" Lilypaw begged desperately.

"Okay. It's about you."

"Well, yeah!" Lilypaw exploded, rising to her paws. The fast movement strained her swollen muscles, making her wince.

"Careful," Rainsong sighed.

...

Lilypaw limped out of the medicine cats den, feeling bruised and battered all over. _It'll be a moon before I get back to normal, _Lilypaw groaned inwardly. _This is terrible! _Lilypaws depressing thoughts vanished at once when she saw Talonstrike across the clearing, hobbling along with his awkward leg brace at the front. The brace was wrapped tightly, made out of sticks and stems.

"Hey," Lilypaw forced her beaten legs to walk over. "How's the leg?"

"Not any better than yesterday," Talonstrike grimaced. "I think it might have gotten worse."

"That's too bad," Lilypaw said, looking down at the brace. "It looks uncomfortable."

"You better believe it," Talonstrike grunted and sat down. "I saw you come out of Rainsongs den," he commented. "All okay with you?"

"I'm just very sore. And I ripped out some claws," Lilypaw admitted. She held up her paw for him to see.

"That looks painful," Talonstrike said, narrowing his eyes. "I've only lost a claw once before. I know how much it hurts."

"Well, if I get into a fight I'll be useless," Lilypaw said, trying to make a joke. "If I try to scratch an enemy he'll get one claw and the rest paw."

"Well then let's just hope you don't get into a fight," Talonstrike smiled. Then his face turned serious. "I heard you tried to save me when we were drowning," he whispered. "I can't tell you how much that meant to me."

"It was no big deal," Lilypaw replied, surprised by the unexpected praise. "I saw you struggling and I had to try."

"It _was _a big deal," Talonstrike insisted. "Even when we were trying to figure out how to get out, you let me lean on you because I couldn't stay up."

"Anyone could have done that -"

"But they didn't," Talonstrike interrupted. "_You _did. And Jaystorm mentioned to me that you helped him out of a tunnel when he got stuck?"

"Yeah," Lilypaw shifted her paws, feeling embarrassed.

"Don't look down," Talonstrike said kindly. "You deserve to be praised."

"I was just trying to help," Lilypaw admitted quietly.

"And you did. Without you, there is a good chance Jaystorm and I would both be dead."

Lilypaw was at such a loss of words she didn't reply.

"I'll stop now," Talonstrike smiled. "I just wanted to know how proud I am of you. How proud we all are."


	13. Liar, Lover

I Fell In Love With My Apprentice

Chapter 13: Liar, Lover

My best friend is a liar.

A hate filled, heartless liar.

Jaystorm was always the cat I could turn to when things were going wrong. Sure, I could talk to Talonstrike but he always seemed to contradict what I told him. Jaystorm, yes, Jaystorm was my best friend. He was like a brother to me. The only reason I didn't tell him about the tunnels was because I was protecting him! I swear, I didn't mean for that to be a huge issue. But it was. Oh well, what's done is done and all I can really do now is move forward with my life. But now, thanks to that idiot, my life's on hold once again. He knows I'm in love with Lilypaw. He knew it from the day she became my apprentice. So what does he do? He goes and falls in love with her too.

I hate him for it.

I want to see him pay.

The worst part about this whole thing is Lilypaw likes him too. She maybe even loves him. She didn't tell me this but oh, I know. I'm not blind, I see the way she looks at him. Every time they even speak to each other, I feel a hideous anger rising up in me. Anger can be like a pet dog, its canines dull with disuse.

But mine is a rabid thing,

Sharpening it's teeth on my very bones

And I will never let it go.

...

Lilypaw stretched lazily, feeling happiness crawl up her spine as she realized she wasn't very sore anymore. It had been quite a few days since the incident in the tunnels, and this brought some good news and bad news. Lilypaw smiled as she thought of the good news, her claws were starting to grow in again and everyone seemed to be moving not as stiffly. The bad news, was Talonstrikes leg was getting worse. He was having such a hard time on the patrols it was painful to watch. Lilypaw frowned as she thought of yesterdays evening patrol. She had to bring Talonstrike back to the camp halfway through because he was in too much pain. He was unable to hunt as well, and Leafstar was running out of easy jobs to give him around the camp. Lilypaw figured it wouldn't be much longer before he got fed up with his injury. _He gets more agitated every day, _Lilypaw thought sadly. _I hope he heals soon. _Other then the injuries, there was one unspoken question lingering on her mind.

_When will Greenclan say something_

She knew it would be uneffective if they accused the fearsome four of murdering Rowenheart, because there wasn't a body to prove it. Not to mention they announced in front of the gathering that he had died of greencough. Lilypaw figured they were okay for now, but she had a lingering feeling that the subject of Rowenheart would come up again soon. _It's only a matter of time, _Lilypaw thought. _I just don't know when that time will come. _She forced the thoughts out of her mind, Talonstrike was hobbling over.

"Hi," Lilypaw greeted him.

"Hello," Talonstrike mumbled, glaring angrily at his leg brace.

"Is your leg bothering you?" the words were out of Lilypaws mouth before she realized it was a dumb question.

"Yeah, it is," Talonstrike sighed. "I don't know what's wrong with it."

"Have you spoken to Rainsong about it?"

"I'm in there every day!" Talonstrike cried. "Nothings working."

Lilypaw just stared at him, at a complete loss at what to say.

"Sorry for being rude," Talonstrike mumbled. "I'm just frustrated. I can barely even move and it's making me lazy and tired."

"Go hobble around the camp," Lilypaw giggled involuntarily at the thought of Talonstrike doing laps around the camp. Talonstrike stared at her in annoyance, narrowing his eyes.

"Sorry," Lilypaw mumbled. Then Talonstrike broke out into a grin, making Lilypaw breathe a sigh of relief.

"What if you went into the creek?" Lilypaw suggested. "Swimming would stretch out your legs."

"Oh yeah that'll work for about two seconds," Talonstrike scoffed. "Then I'll drown."

"Hm," Lilypaw didn't know what else to suggest. She was just about to see if he wanted to go on a walk to get some fresh air when she heard her name being called. She looked behind her to see Jaystorm beckoning her over with his tail.

"I'll talk to you later," Lilypaw said before walking off.

"See you," Talonstrike called. Lilypaw watched him hobble off in the direction of the medicine cats den before she walked over to Jaystorm.

"Hello," Lilypaw greeted him, shifting her paws awkwardly as she realized he looked a little too happy to see her.

"Hi," Jaystorm replied. "How's Talonstrike doing?"

Lilypaw looked over her shoulder to see Talonstrike still making his way to Rainsongs den.

"His leg is getting worse," she sighed. "I don't know what's the problem."

"That's too bad," Jaystorm commented.

"Yeah," Lilypaw waited for him to continue and coughed awkwardly when he didn't.

"So, what's up?" Lilypaw asked at last.

"Nothing," Jaystorm replied simply. "There's nothing to do. Want to go for a walk with me?"

"Oh, sure," Lilypaw said in surprise. _Jaystorm and I always hang out, _she thought to herself. _So why does something feel different? _Lilypaw followed Jaystorm out the entrance tunnel, trying to force her confusing thoughts away.

"Where is Darkclaw?" Lilypaw asked.

"He went on a patrol," Jaystorm replied, not looking at her.

"Huh," Lilypaws odd feeling grew. "Why didn't he invite you on the patrol?"

"Because he's... annoyed at me," Jaystorm said at last. "He hasn't invited me on a patrol in days."

"Why is he mad?" Lilypaw asked. "Did you annoy him?"

"No, I think I threatened him," Jaystorm laughed shortly. "Stop looking at me like that, Lilypaw. Things are fine."

"Well, okay," Lilypaw said reluctantly. They walked in silence for a while, Lilypaw enjoyed listening to the birds chirping in the distance. _It's such a nice day, _she thought. _This is nice. _

"Lilypaw," Jaystorm suddenly said. Lilypaw turned tp face him. "Yes?"

"I want to talk to you about something."

"Uh, okay," Lilypaw laughed nervously, unsure why Jaystorm looked so awkward.

"Hollyfern asked me to get back together with her again," Jaystorm said slowly. "She said she wants to be mates."

"Oh," Lilypaw was not expecting this at all. Her heart started to pound in a painful way, and she wondered why he was telling her this. "What did you say?"

"Well, I said no," Jaystorm said simply, looking dead forward. "She tried to change my mind, and brought the kits up. She told me they'd never be happy if their dad wasn't with her."

Lilypaw was unable to respond.

"I told her I would love my kits, and they would grow up happy," Jaystorm continued. "I also said I would never be fully happy with a cat whom I didn't love."

"Wow," Lilypaw said. "That's a lot to process."

"Yeah," Jaystorm said. Then he stopped walking, and stared at her. "Lilypaw, I'm in love with you."

Lilypaw stumbled over her paws and nearly tripped. "What?" she asked, not sure she heard him right.

"I love you."

"Oh," Lilypaw gasped, realizing she did hear him right after all. "But...but I'm an apprentice."

"I'm aware," Jaystorm replied. Lilypaws heart was hammering so hard she didn't know how it wasn't failing out. Her thin legs shook and her head spun.

"You don't have to say it back," Jaystorm said, smiling slightly. "I just wanted you to know that."


	14. Through New Eyes

I Fell In Love With My Apprentice

Chapter 14: Through New Eyes

Lilypaw stumbled back into the camp, blindly pushing her way through the thorny tunnel. They scratched her ears but she ignored them.

Bells rang in her ears.

Her heart screamed and pounded in her chest.

Her legs shook, her whiskers twitched.

Lilypaw, was in love.

_So why couldn't I just say it? _She thought angrily. _Why did I have to freeze up at that exact second?! _Lilypaw tried not to think of the days previous events and failed. When Jaystorm told her he loved her, Lilypaw choked. _He must have realized I was obviously uncomfortable, _Lilypaw thought, thinking of the way he had hastily added "you don't have to say it back" at the end. _Now everything's weird and it's all my fault! _Lilypaw inwardly groaned as she came across the sudden realization that Jaystorm must have taken her awkward stutters as a rejection. Lilypaw couldn't walk any longer. She lay down in front of the apprentices den, anxiety almost making her lean over and lose her lunch all over the forest floor.

"What are you doing?"

Lilypaw looked up into the eyes of Darkclaw, who was staring at her in confusion.

"Are you ill?" he asked, head cocked to the side. "You look ... sick."

"I'm not sick," Lilypaw groaned. "I'm just overwhelmed."

"Oh?" Darkclaws tone suddenly flickered with curiosity. "Overwhelmed about what?"

"I shouldn't talk about it," Lilypaw mumbled, figuring she shouldn't talk about Jaystorm until she had figured out things herself.

"Talk to me," Darkclaw leaned down beside her. Lilypaws eyes flickered up to look at him. His tangy breath swirled around her nose, making her feel dizzy. Lilypaw hastily backed up and awkwardly gave her chest fur a few quick licks.

"Jaystorm told me something," Lilypaw admitted at last, hoping to ease some of her heart wrenching anxiety by telling someone about it. "I just... I just don't know what came over me."

Darkclaws eyes glinted and he narrowed them slightly. He let out a low growl before he spoke again, and Lilypaw looked at him in confusion.

"Would you mind," Darkclaw began, staring her dead in the eye. "Telling me what he said to you?"

"Oh, I shouldn't repeat it," Lilypaw said feverishly, starting to feel as though she had done something wrong. _Jaystorm and Darkclaw are best friends, _Lilypaw thought, trying to reassure herself. _He probably knows Jaystorm loves me anyway. _Despite her reassuring thoughts, Lilypaw couldn't find the will to tell Darkclaw.

"No, no," Darkclaw gave a forced laugh. "You should tell me. I just want to make sure it's not what I'm thinking."

"He told me he loves me," Lilypaw admitted reluctantly. A shadow seemed to fall over Darkclaws eyes, and when he spoke he gritted his teeth.

"Ah, so it was what I was thinking," he whispered. "Excuse me," then he got up and stalked away, Lilypaw staring after him in confusion.

...

Jaystorm chewed his food slowly, staring off into nothing. Beside him, Gingertail was laying down on the soft dirt with her eyes closed. Jaystorm gave a big sigh, trying to subtly provoke a reaction from his friend.

Gingertail didn't even blink.

"Huhhhhhhh!" Jaystorm gave a more theatrical sigh, dragging it out until Gingertail opened her eyes.

"If you have something to say then just say it," Gingertail snapped. "Don't sit there breathing weirdly on me."

"Do you ever get the feeling that you've done something horribly dumb?" Jaystorm asked. Gingertail stared at him. "Ah, no? Why, did you do something dumb?"

"I may have," Jaystorm sighed again.

"What did you do?" Gingertail asked, smiling slightly.

"Well, I may have told Lilypaw that I love her," Jaystorm admitted at last. "And she may have not said it back."

"Harsh," Gingertail winced. "You know what that means, don't you?"

"I like to think that she was just taken by surprise and didn't know how to respond," Jaystorm said feebly.

"I guess that's easier to believe than the alternative," Gingertail snorted. Jaystorm sighed, realizing he wasn't get any helpful support from Gingertail.

"What's with you?" he asked, deciding to change the subject. "You seem really annoyed."

"Amberpelts been avoiding me for days," Gingertail sighed. "And I don't know why."

"Did you do something that may have ticked her off?"

"Well, I might have told her that she's looking fatter than Hollyfern," Gingertail admitted grudgingly. Jaystorm thought in alarm at how big Hollyfern was getting due to her pregnancy, and winced.

"That wasn't a very nice thing to say," he scoffed. "Why would you say something like that to your best friend?"

"She said my pelt looks like the droppings of a rabbit."

Jaystorm started to laugh but stopped when he realized Gingertail was glaring at him.

"Sorry," Jaystorm apologized hastily. "But why did she say that in the first place?"

"Because it's true," Gingertail mumbled.

"Nonsense," Jaystorm snapped, looking over Gingertails orange and brown fur. "You have a beautiful pelt."

Gingertail stopped glaring at once, her eyes widening. "Now don't you come on to me, too!" she spat. "You already got Hollyfern pregnant and now you're lusting after me because you got rejected by Lilypaw!"

"That's completely ridiculous!" Jaystorm cried, feeling his face grow hot in embarrassment. "I was just trying to give you a compliment!"

"Well give your compliments to someone else, you weirdo!" Gingertail snapped back. Then she got up and stalked away. Jaystorm was just about to call something after her but stopped when

he saw Darkclaw making his way towards him.

"Oh thank Starclan," Jaystorm groaned, running up to meet him. "Darkclaw, you will not _believe _what just happened," he said in annoyance. "Have you ever tried to be nice to Gingertail? Well, don't, because if you even say so much as you're pelt is a nice color-"

"I know," Darkclaw cut him off. "I've done that before."

"Weird, eh?" Jaystorm mumbled, suddenly getting the feeling that something was off. Darkclaw stood dead still in front of him, his eyes too shiny. He was flexing his claws in and out, slowly as if he were waiting for the perfect chance to kill his prey.

"So, uh," Jaystorm stammered. "What's up?"

"I'm doing a patrol," Darkclaw smiled, his voice hissing through his teeth like a snake. "Just me and you."

"What about Talonstrike and Lilypaw?" Jaystorm asked, not that he cared at this exact moment but just wanted to stall. Something was very wrong.

"Lilypaws resting, she doesn't feel well," Darkclaw said through gritted teeth.

"Okay," Jaystorm mumbled, scanning the clearing for Talonstrike. "What about Talonstrike? Could he come too?"

"I just want to be with you," Darkclaw said slowly, narrowing his eyes. "So let's go."

All Jaystorm could do was follow. _Oh god he looks as though he wants to kill me, _Jaystorm thought to himself, unable to avert his gaze from Darkclaws rigid body and tense steps. _Okay, think Jaystorm. What could I have possibly done in the past little while that would anger him? Hmm, okay well Talonstrike and I were joking about the way he hunts birds. Maybe he found out about that? Nah. We were just kidding. What else... I told him I couldn't do the evening patrol last night because I wasn't feeling well, but I felt fine and just wanted to be lazy. That's it, it's got to be it. _Jaystorm came to the conclusion that Darkclaw was angry at him because he lied about being sick. _I'll just say I'm sorry, _Jaystorm decided. _And it won't happen again._

"So, as you can probably tell, this isn't a real patrol," Darkclaw said at last, slowing his walking to a halt. He stood very still and faced Jaystorm. "I wanted to talk to you."

"Yeah, I know," Jaystorm mumbled, shifting his paws awkwardly. "And before you say anything, I just want you to know I'm very sorry."

Darkclaws eyes widened slightly for half a second. "You're sorry?" he growled. "And why is that?"

"What I did was wrong," Jaystorm said simply. "And it wasn't fair. It won't happen again."

"Huh," Darkclaws anger suddenly melted slightly, now he looked puzzled. "Then why did you do it in the first place?"

"I was selfish," Jaystorm said, ashamed. _Everyone was out helping the clan and I was just laying in my den taking a nap. _"It was the only time I've done it, I swear."

Darkclaw stared at him for a second too long. "You sure about that?" he said at last. Jaystorm groaned really loudly. "Fine, I did it last moon too!" he cried. "Look, I'm sorry all right! Sometimes I just get so worn out I need a break."

"Wait, what?" Darkclaw snapped, shaking his head in confusion. "What the heck are you talking about?"

"So you want me to say it out loud?" Jaystorm said miserably. "Fine. I lied about being sick last night so I could go to sleep early."

"You... you..." Darkclaw started to sputter out his words, and his whole body started to shake.

"Speak slower Darkclaw," Jaystorm said, trying to be helpful. "I don't understand."

"YOU, _IDIOT!" _Darkclaw shrieked, lunging forward. Jaystorm cried out in alarm as Darkclaw tackled him to the ground. His head thudded painfully against a rock, and his still slightly bruised spine cracked on the ground.

"For gods sake, Darkclaw!" Jaystorm cried out as Darkclaw started slashing at him. "It was just a patrol!"

"I DON'T CARE ABOUT THE FREAKING PATROL YOU HEARTLESS LIAR!" Darkclaw screamed. "YOU TOLD LILYPAW YOU LOVE HER!"

Oh.

OH.

The realization dawned over Jaystorm like a cloud covering the sun. "She wasn't supposed to tell you that," Jaystorm stammered, shrinking back to avoid Darkclaws slashing claws.

"Well, she did!" Darkclaw hissed, shoving Jaystorm back to the ground. He pressed his paw painfully down on Jaystorms throat, causing him to choke and cough.

"Promise me you'll stop talking to her," Darkclaw whispered. Jaystorm wriggled and thrashed under his grip, gasping.

"I...I..." Jaystorm started to sputter.

"SAY IT," Darkclaw snarled.

"Get, off of him."

Darkclaw whipped his head around, and to his horrid surprise saw Lilypaw standing there, tail fluffed out in anger and eyes narrowed. Jaystorm thanked his lucky stars as Darkclaw jumped off him at once, releasing him from the fatal grip.

"What are you doing?" Lilypaw asked, voice concerned.

"He loves you," Darkclaw said after a moments hesitation. "And you're too young. I was just warning him what would happen if he tried something with my apprentice."

"Why, are you jealous?" Lilypaw asked cooly.

"What? No-"

"Well, even if you _are," _Lilypaw hissed, slowly walking over to the two toms. "You're just gonna have to get over it."

"Why aren't I allowed to protect my apprentice?" Darkclaw hissed.

"Because, I'm not a kit anymore," Lilypaw cried. "_Look _at me Darkclaw!"

Jaystorm turned his head to look at Lilypaw, and it felt as though he were looking at her for the first time. He was so used to seeing the tiny kit following them around, her brown fur sticking up. But now, looking at her, Jaystorm realized she looked older. Her eyes looked wary, broken from their innocence. Her body held muscles and strength, and her legs were longer. Darkclaw slowly backed away from Jaystorm and looked down.

"I'm sorry," he whispered. "I'm so, so sorry. To both of you."

Lilypaw and Jaystorm didn't say anything.

"I can't believe I reacted the way I did," Darkclaw murmured, staring at the ground. "I just got so ... full of anger at you," he paused to look at Jaystorm. "It felt as though another cat was controlling my body, and choosing my words."

"It's okay," Jaystorm said quietly. "I forgive you."

"And Lilypaw, can you ever forgive me?" Darkclaw asked, voice almost pleading. Lilypaw shifted around on her paws, thinking.

"I guess I can," she whispered. "You're my mentor. We can't stay angry forever."

"No, we can't," Darkclaw replied. He paused for a few seconds before he spoke again. "Why did you tell me that I was just supposed to get over it?"

"Well, if you were jealous that Jaystorm loves me, there's nothing I can do about it," Lilypaw admitted.

"Why?" Jaystorm couldn't help asking.

"Because," Lilypaw whispered. "I love you too."


	15. Love the Sinner, Hate the Sin

I Fell In Love With My Apprentice

Chapter 15: Love the Sinner, Hate the Sin

_Cold to the bone _

_In this life im in_

_When I'm loving the sinner_

_Yet hating the sin_

"I'm freezing cold," Darkclaw said mildly, shivering as he spoke. Talonstrike looked up from his fresh kill to stare at him.

"It's not even cold out," he commented. "In fact, it's warmer than it's been all moon."

"Well, I'm freezing," Darkclaw sighed, getting tired of his trembling bones. "Maybe I'm coming down with a cold."

"Where would you have picked up a cold?" Jaystorm asked, joining in the conversation. "No one in the clan is sick."

"I don't know, alright?" Darkclaw hissed back at him. Jaystorm looked taken aback by his tone, and he lowered his head wordlessly. Talonstrike shot a glance at Darkclaw, one Darkclaw knew more than well. It was a look or warning. Darkclaw had been trying to control his rage towards Jaystorm for the past few days, and so far he hadn't slipped up yet. _But it doesn't help whenever I hear him talk I want to tear his throat out, _Darkclaw thought mutinously. _And whenever he's with Lilypaw I want to sink my claws into his neck and-_

"What's wrong with you?" Jaystorm asked suddenly, breaking Darkclaw out of his thoughts. Darkclaw had to use all his strength to push his anger out of his mind. "Nothing," he lied. "I'm just thinking about being sick."

"Well, if you're worried then go to Rainsong," Jaystorm shrugged simply, dismissing the matter. Darkclaw watched him continue to eat his fresh kill, red hot anger boiling beneath him. _Sits there and eats as though he's done nothing wrong, _Darkclaw thought. _As if he hasn't just torn my freaking heart clean out of my chest. _

"Maybe you should go see Rainsong," Talonstrike said hastily, taking note of the obvious anger that was starting to show in Darkclaws eyes. "You don't look well."

"Well, I'm not cold anymore," Darkclaw said slowly, not taking his eyes off Jaystorm. "I'm actually feeling quite warm."

"You're weird," Jaystorm snorted. Darkclaw stood up, he was starting to see red.

"I'm gonna go for a walk," he struggled to keep his voice under control. "See you guys in a bit."

"Bye," Jaystorm called after him. Darkclaw didn't reply and stalked away. Jaystorm watched him until he was out of earshot before turning to look at Talonstrike.

"He's so mad," Jaystorm said sadly. "I feel just awful."

"He's getting progressively worse," Talonstrike murmured. "I supposed only time will heal him."

"I feel horrid," Jaystorm muttered, looking down. "Do you think there's anything I can do?"

"Do you want to give up Lilypaw?"

"No," Jaystorm gasped.

"Then I guess you can't do anything," Talonstrike replied.

...

"Hey, Lilypaw."

Lilypaw looked up at the unexpected voice, looking around to see who had called her. She was startled as her eyes met Hollyferns.

"Hello," Lilypaw mumbled awkwardly. "What's up?"

"Are you and Jaystorm mates?" Hollyfern said bluntly, narrowing her eyes into slits. Lilypaw was so taken aback by the question she nearly didn't know how to respond.

"Uh, yes," Lilypaw whispered at last, feeling a pang of sickness run through her. Hollyfern sighed, and struggled to sit down. Lilypaw couldn't avert her eyes from the way Hollyferns body was swollen and large. _She'll be giving birth any day, _Lilypaw thought.

"Why?" Hollyfern said quietly. Lilypaw was confused.

"Why what?" she asked.

"Why did you choose to fall for him?" Hollyfern replied, her voice holding a tinge of desperation. When Lilypaw didn't respond, Hollyfern continued.

"He treated you like you were special, didn't he," she whispered.

"Yes," Lilypaw said defensively, wondering why this was any of Hollyferns business.

"He used to treat me like I was special too," Hollyfern sighed. "And now look what he did to me!"

"He gave you the miracle of kits,"Lilypaw mumbled.

"He left me coldly, a single mother to raise these kits alone," Hollyfern choked. "And he'll do the same thing to you. And when he's done with you," Hollyfern leaned in and hissed her words into Lilypaws face. "He'll do the same thing again to the next cat. And the next, and the next."

"Please leave me alone," Lilypaw said, voice cracking. She had had enough of Hollyfern.

"You're only fooling yourself," Hollyfern cried, voice getting louder. "And you're stupid to love him!"

"Well I guess that makes two of us, doesn't it?" Lilypaw yelled back, getting up. "You're the one to talk about loving him!"

"He'll break your heart," Hollyfern growled. "Just like he did to -" she broke off in a shuddering gasp, alarming Lilypaw. She turned around to see Hollyfern crumpling to the ground, her face distorted with pain.

"Hollyfern?" Lilypaw said nervously. "What's wrong?"

"The kits," Hollyfern gasped. "The kits are coming!"

"What should I do?" Lilypaw shrieked, getting very frightened at the way Hollyfern was breathing. _I don't know a thing about kits, _Lilypaw thought desperately. _I was one not too long ago! _

"You idiot, don't just stand there!" Hollyfern cried. "Get Rainsong!"

Lilypaw ran off in the direction of the medicine cats den, charging past Moonpaw and Snowpaw on her way there.

"Rainsong!" Lilypaw cried, bursting into the den. She groaned.

Rainsong wasn't there.

"Are you looking for Rainsong?" Jinglepaw asked, poking his head into the den.

"Yes, Hollyferns giving birth and we need her," Lilypaw explained in a rush.

"Well, I don't know where she is," Jinglepaw said worriedly. "She went out a while ago to collect herbs."

"Oh, perfect," Lilypaw groaned and charged back out of the den. She ran back over to where Hollyfern was lying, and by this time more cats had begun to gather. Lilypaw noticed with a jolt, that Jaystorm was not amongst the crowd.

"Where's Rainsong?" Hollyfern demanded between deep breaths.

"She's out somewhere in the forest," Lilypaw cried. "But don't worry, we can do this!"

"But..." Hollyferns voice trailed off. "Where's Jaystorm?"

Lilypaw frantically looked around at the frightened faces of her clan mates, all of them returning her frantic look.

"He went out a while ago with Darkclaw," Moonpaw piped in feebly.

_WHAT?_

"Alright, does anyone know how to do this?" Lilypaw cried out.

"I can help," Softfur said, stepping forward. "I've given birth so I know sort of what to do."

"Good," Lilypaw said quietly. "I'm gonna go find Jaystorm."

And with that, she ran away into the direction of the forest.

...

"I know you're mad at me," Jaystorm said after a long bout of silence. Darkclaw just hissed under his breath and glared at him.

"You knew," Darkclaw whispered. "You _knew _I love her. How could you do that to me?"

"I didn't mean to hurt you, I really didn't," Jaystorm cried. "I tried to stay away from her but I _couldn't."_

"What's done is done," Darkclaw growled. "But I think we both know that you'll get tired of her, just like you got tired of Hollyfern."

"HOW MANY TIMES DO I HAVE TO EXPLAIN THAT?" Jaystorm shrieked. "Hollyfern, was a mistake! Does no one understand that?"

"That poor cat is alone and pregnant," Darkclaw hissed. "Tell me who's mistake that was."

"I don't need to listen to this," Jaystorm growled. "I came out here with you to apologize, not to get yelled at."

"Oh trust me, I'd like nothing more to yell back," Darkclaw seethed. "But I won't."

"Just do it," Jaystorm hissed. "You know you want to."

Darkclaw glared at him, spitting hatred out of his eyes like lightning. And then, after several long moments, Darkclaw turned around and fled silently through the trees.

Meanwhile, back at the Willowclan camp, three new lives were born.


	16. Enter Greenclan

I Fell In Love With My Apprentice

Chapter 16: Enter Greenclan

Blackclaw looked across the clearing at Yellowpaw, who was boasting about his evening hunting patrol.

"I swear, I caught more than the three of them put together," he was bragging. He was talking so loud Blackclaw could hear him clear across the camp. She sighed and pretended to focus on something else. Blackclaw was a sheer black cat, with long claws and sparking blue eyes. Blackclaw, was also the only she cat in the history of the clan with the name 'claw' at the end of her name. When her clan mates talked about her to others at a gathering, they automatically assumed she was a tom. Blackclaw had lost track of all the times she'd had to correct mislead cats.

"Hey, Blackclaw!" Yellowpaws sneering voice called. "Come over here!"

Blackclaw stood up and walked over to him and his two best friends, Darkstripe and Seed. Darkstripe was a large graying tom, with streaks of white fur running through his pelt and fragile claws. He should be in the elders den due to his age, but he insisted he was still capable of doing his warrior jobs. Blackclaw personally thought the sole reason he was putting of being an elder was because of Yellowpaw. Despite Yellowpaws hugely younger age, he and Darkclaw were rarely apart. Seed, on the other hand, was kind of the third wheel. He was also Yellowpaws brother. Unlike Yellowpaw, Seed actually got his warrior name a day before the snake accident. Seed's full name is Seedfur, but he hated it so much he insisted everyone just call him Seed. Blackclaw didn't see what his problem was with the name Seedfur, she thought it was a nice name.

"Blackclaw, when you avoid me it makes me think you don't like me anymore," Yellowpaw said as Blackclaw joined the group.

"I was just thinking to myself," Blackclaw mumbled, shifting her paws nervously as Seed and Darkstripe snickered.

"Well that's dumb," Yellowpaw scoffed meanly.

"So what were you guys talking about?" Blackclaw asked, ignoring his mean tone. She was used to Yellowpaw being rude, she dealt with it every day and he was rarely nice.

"The gatherings tonight," Yellowpaw explained. "I'm thinking of leaving the apprentices in the camp for this one."

"Why?" Blackclaw asked, confused.

"Last time we brought them, they started chatting with Moonpaw," Yellowpaw growled slowly. Seed hissed in annoyance.

"Who is Moonpaw?" Blackclaw asked, not recognizing the name.

"Moonpaws a shrimpy Willowclan apprentice," Yellowpaw explained scathingly. "I walked up just in time to hear Scarpaw and Rosepaw telling him about Rowenheart randomly disappearing."

"Oh," Blackclaw said in surprise.

"Yeah," Yellowpaw nodded. "I gave him elders duty for a moon for that one."

Blackclaw got a icky feeling rise in her chest. "Don't you think that's a little... extreme?" she asked hesitantly. When the three toms stared at her in disgust she hastily continued. "I mean, they probably didn't know it was a topic they shouldn't be discussing."

"I don't care," Yellowpaw snapped. "Thanks to them, we now have a cat in Willowclan who knows Rowenheart didn't die from greencough."

Blackclaws icky feeling grew. A little while ago, Yellowpaw had killed the Greenclan deputy in order to become deputy himself. Seed and Darkstripe had helped him drag the body over onto Willowclans territory, but they had unfortunately run into the fearsome foursome. Blackclaw wasn't there, but she was told about it. Now Rowenheart had disappeared somehow, and no one knew where. But Blackclaw knew the fearsome four had something to do with it. Blackclaw felt a hideous fear of Yellowpaw after he had murdered the kind deputy, but she couldn't do anything. _Speaking out against Yellowpaw will dig my own grave, _Blackclaw thought sadly to herself. _The only thing I can do now is be his friend. _

"Maybe Moonpaw didn't say anything," Blackclaw suggested, trying to be helpful.

"Yeah, fat chance of that," Seed scoffed before Yellowpaw could reply. "He's got the biggest mouth in the forest."

"Well, what are we going to do about it?" Blackclaw asked.

"Well, for one thing we can leave the apprentices at home so they don't talk to anyone," Yellowpaw growled. "But as far as Moonpaw goes, let's just hope Willowclan decides to bring him."

"Why?" Blackclaw asked, trying to keep the dread out of her voice. "What are you going to do to him?"

"I'm not going to do anything," Yellowpaw smiled. "I just want to talk to him."

Blackclaw was thankful when Halfstar called Yellowpaws name, giving her an excuse not to respond.

"Yellowpaw, the gathering will start soon," Halfstar was saying as he walked over. "Have you decided who will come?"

"You, myself, Seed, Darkstripe, Blackclaw, Redfur and Fawnheart," Yellowpaw replied. Halfstars mouth twitched, almost as if he were about to smile. "No apprentices?" he asked mildly.

"No," Yellowpaw replied simply. Blackclaw waited for him to give an explanation why, but he didn't. It didn't matter anyway, because Halfstar didn't ask for one and just gave an agreeing nod.

"Well, we should get going now," he said, his voice a low growl. "It's gonna take us a little longer to get there."

"Why?" Darkstripe asked.

"A tree fell in front of our usual trail," Halfstar explained. "Redfur discovered it on her patrol earlier."

"Can't we just climb over it?" Blackclaw asked.

"It's a pretty big tree," Halfstar replied. "We may struggle and I don't want to risk being late."

"Starclan forbid we show up late like Willowclan last time," Seed growled to Yellowpaw. "Stupid cats think they can do whatever they want there."

"I'm gonna go see Rosepaw," Blackclaw said mildly, backing away. "I just want to tell her about the gathering."

"She's my apprentice, not yours," Seed snapped meanly. "She'd rather hear it from me."

Blackclaw pretended not to hear and walked over to where the clans only two apprentices were sitting. Scarpaw and Rosepaw were inseparable, not brother and sister but acted like it. Blackclaw had taken a special interest over Rosepaw, she felt like a mother to her. Rosepaws birth mother was a cat named Reedflower. Blackclaw positively despised her. When Rosepaw was born, Reedflower had tried to give her the name Cripplekit, due to Rosepaws weaker back leg. The name was so horrid even the cold leader Halfstar had refused, giving her the name Rosekit against Reedflowers permission. Ever since, Reedflower has laughed in her young daughters face about her lame leg, and called her names. She was the most terrible mother Blackclaw had ever seen.

"Hello, Rosepaw, Scarpaw," Blackclaw greeted them kindly. Rosepaw smiled up at her, her eyes gleaming.

"Did Yellowpaw pick the cats for the gathering?" she asked excitedly. Blackclaw felt bad for crushing her hopes, but there was no choice.

"Yellowpaw decided to not bring the apprentices this time," Blackclaw explained.

"Why?" Scarpaw cried.

"He's just concerned about you talking to other clans," Blackclaw said gently. "He doesn't want you to give away stuff that you shouldn't."

"Aw, is this about Moonpaw?" Scarpaw sighed. "I told him I was sorry!"

"Moonpaw is like a brother to us," Rosepaw added in sadly. "We talk to him at every gathering, and I guess we just forgot the boundaries last time."

"It's not big deal," Blackclaw said warmly. "I promise when I get back, I'll tell you everything that happens."

"Will you tell us stories when you come back too?" Rosepaw asked hopefully. "Heronclaws too tired to tell them anymore."

"Of course," Blackclaw smiled briskly, thinking of the clans one and only elder Heronclaw. Heronclaw was perfectly capable of being a warrior for a few more moons, but he decided he would rather be lazy and sleep all day then do so.

"Hey, Rosepaw," a sneering voice suddenly broke in the conversation. Blackclaw looked over to her right with dread as she recognized the scathing voice of Rosepaws mother.

"Hello, Reedflower," Rosepaw said politely, moving slightly closer to Blackclaw.

"I heard you can't go to the gathering," Reedflower said. "So I want you to go out and collect my some new moss for my nest."

Rosepaw hung her head and started to agree but Blackclaw cut in.

"Reedflower, don't you think you can do that yourself?" she asked mildly.

"I could but I have a perfectly good apprentice to do it," Reedflower snapped back.

"She's not your slave," Blackclaw snapped back. Rosepaw sighed and pushed herself to her paws, her lame leg slightly higher than the others. "It's fine, Blackclaw," she mumbled. "I'll do it."

"Sit back down," Blackclaw growled, her eyes narrowing into slits as she stared at Reedflower. "You're not getting moss for her."

"Excuse me," Reedflower said very quietly. "I think you better stop ordering my kit around."

"Blackclaw, it's no big deal," Rosepaw said feebly. "I can do it."

"No," Blackclaw growled. "You don't take orders from her."

"Fine, I guess I'll get it myself," Reedflower hissed, stalking past Blackclaw. As she past her, she murmured into her ear.

"Watch your back," Reedflower whispered very quietly.

And then she was gone.

"Thanks," Rosepaw said to Blackclaw. Blackclaw felt horrible for the young she cat. _With Reedflower as her mother and Seed as her mentor, the poor cat must feel awful. _

"I'll see you after the gathering," Blackclaw said gently, and padded away. Before she was out of earshot of the apprentices, she heard Scarpaw whisper.

"Your mother has got to be the meanest cat in the forest," he said. Blackclaw slowed her pace so she could hear Rosepaws reply.

"My mother is the kindest cat I've ever met," Rosepaw said defensively.

"But... Reedflowers just plain nasty to you," Scarpaw said in confusion. Rosepaw shook her head. "Blackclaws my true mom," she whispered. "I love her and she loves me."

"But..."

"Reedflower may have given birth to me, but blood isn't everything," Rosepaw explained. "I just keep hoping one day she'll disappear, so Blackclaw can take her place permanently."

Blackclaws throat had closed up from sadness and love for the little cat, but she forced herself to push it away and keep walking.

She had a gathering to go to, and now was not the time to think of Reedflowers cruel heart.


	17. The Unknown Father and the Lost Kits

I Fell In Love With My Apprentice

Chapter 17: The Unknown Father and the Lost Kits

"Wow," Blackclaw said in alarm. "That trees a lot bigger than I thought it would be."

"Were you expecting a pile of sticks?" Yellowpaw scoffed in disgust.

"Well, no, but I didn't really think we had a tree that big on our territory," Blackclaw said defensively, irritated by Yellowpaws arrogant tone.

"Are you daft?" Yellowpaw snapped. Blackclaw took in a deep breath to snap back a stinging retort, but stopped when Redfur gently placed her tail over her spine.

"Yellowpaw, don't be so rude," she growled. "Blackclaws allowed to have an opinion.

"Well she can have an opinion but I don't want to hear it if it's a stupid one," he hissed back.

Blackclaw forced herself to swallow her anger and turned to her friend, who was doing a better job at swallowing her rage.

"What should we do?"Blackclaw asked Redfur. "Should we try to go around?"

"We could stop acting like a bunch of retarded kits and jump over it," Yellowpaw broke in scathingly. Blackclaw couldn't help but let out a hiss of frustration. Even when she wasn't talking to Yellowpaw, he still found a way to be rude.

"I think it's too high to jump over," Blackclaw put in mildly.

"That's because you're weak and small," Yellowpaw scoffed, lowering on his haunches preparing to leap. He sprang high into the air, but didn't make the height of the tree. He scrabbled at the side with his claws but it was only in vain. He hit the ground with a thump, taking some of the bark off the tree with him. Blackclaw started coughing hysterically to hide her laughter, Redfur doing the same. Seed and Darkstripe looked strained too, as if they also found it funny but dared not let it show. Yellowpaw bristled his fur and stalked to the side. "We'll go around," he snapped. Everyone started to follow, and Blackclaw wondered briefly why Halfstar just stood by and let his arrogant deputy make all the decisions for the clan.

"I wonder if Yellowpaws got a burr in his fur or something," Redfur murmured. "He's acting more terrible than usual."

"I swear, Yellowpaws got a whole nest of burrs crowding under his pelt," Blackclaw replied angrily. "I don't know why everyone just lets him get away with it."

"They let him get away with it for the same reason you do," Redfur replied gently. "They're scared of him, just like you."

"Are you?" Blackclaw asked, ducking her head as she walked so she wouldn't hit a branch.

"Am I what?"

"Scared of him," Blackclaw said hesitantly.

"Not scared," Redfur replied slowly. "Just a little comprehensive. There's something very off about him, and I have a feeling it could be dangerous."

"Perhaps," Blackclaw mumbled back, thinking of Rowenheart. As close as she and Redfur were, she couldn't bring herself to burden her with the knowledge of the old deputies death. They walked in silence for a while, stepping over shattered stones and fallen branches. They were just about around the tree when Redfur spoke again.

"I was training Scarpaw today," she began. "He's coming along quite well."

"That's great," Blackclaw said happily. "I saw him today, he's growing bigger every day." Blackclaw was grateful Scarpaw got kindhearted Redfur as his mentor. Redfur was one of the seldom few cats Blackclaw actually trusted in Greenclan. _I wish Rosepaw got a mentor like her, _Blackclaw thought to herself. _Seed is horrible to everyone. I hope he's not treating her poorly. _

"Rosepaws also doing well," Redfur continued. "She is the sweetest little thing. Just today I caught her cuddling up to Scarpaw."

Blackclaws heart felt warm at Rosepaws kindness. Scarpaws mother and father both died in the same battle, one quite a few moons ago between Greenclan and Treeclan. Blackclaw had questioned Rosepaw about being so close to him. She had replied by saying she was the only one who would because he had no one else. _Rosepaws so gentle and kind, _Blackclaw thought. _She's always taking care of everyone. _Blackclaw was glad she had Redfur to help take care of the young cat.

"It's a shame Rosepaws mother is so nasty," Blackclaw said angrily. "You should have seen the way she was talking to her before we left."

Redfur nodded grimly. "It's just awful, I know," she agreed. "It's obvious Rosepaw takes after her father, because clearly she got none of her traits from Reedflower."

"I wish we knew who her father was," Blackclaw muttered. "I don't get why Reedflower refuses to tell us."

"I heard it was a cat from a different clan," Redfur said. "So I don't think we'll ever meet him."

"What?!" Blackclaw gasped, nearly stopping in her tracks. "Which clan?"

"How should I know?" Redfur shrugged, confused at her friends shocked tone. "And why do you look so confused?"

"No one told me her father was from another clan," Blackclaw said in awe.

"I thought everyone knew that," Redfur mumbled.

"I wonder if he knows she's even alive," Blackclaw mumbled.

"That's not what I'm wondering about," Redfur scoffed. "What I'd like to know is what poor soul got together with Reedflower."

"Will you two hurry up!" Yellowpaw screamed over his shoulder. "If you want to walk like elders then move into the elders den!"

Blackclaw swore as she realized how far behind they had fallen, and they ran to catch up.

They ran until they burst into the gathering clearing, Blackclaw realizing with relief that the fallen tree hadn't made them late. She saw Willowclan filing in to their spot next to them, and Treeclan was already settled on the other side. And when she looked to the far side of the clearing she could see the gray head of Tanglestar push his way out of the trees, followed by his Darkclan patrol. Yellowpaw automatically stalked towards his deputy stump, his nose high in the air. Halfstar walked slightly behind him, leaping onto his spot next to the other leaders. Blackclaw looked around the clearing. _Anyone of these cats could be Rosepaws dad, _Blackclaw thought to herself.

_But who?_

"Hey, Blackclaw," Redfur nudged her gently on the side. "Look over at Willowclan."

Blackclaw turned her head to her rival clan, not understanding what Redfur was looking at. She could recognize a few of the cats, but most of them looked unfamiliar. However, there were four cats at the front that she recognized at once. Jaystorm, Talonstrike, Darkclaw and Lilypaw. Also known throughout all the clans as the fearsome four. Then she noticed Lilypaw was sitting noticeably closer to Jaystorm than she usually would. She watched for a few moments, and then Jaystorm leaned down and rubbed his cheek against Lilypaws.

"Oh... are they...?" Blackclaws voice trailed off.

"Mates," Redfur finished her sentence for her. "They, are mates now."

"That's really weird," Blackclaw mumbled. Redfur just shrugged. "I think he's really cute," she admitted, embarrassed.

"Yeah, so does the rest of the forest," Blackclaw snorted. Even though she was in a different clan, it was no secret that Jaystorm was an attractive tom.

"Oh great," Blackclaw groaned, when she noticed who else was there.

"What?" Redfur asked.

"Moonpaws here," Blackclaw muttered worriedly. Redfur looked at her, confused. "Why is that a bad thing?"

"Yellowpaw wants to have a word with him," Blackclaw said. "And I have a feeling it won't be friendly."

"What?" Redfur asked. "Why?"

Blackclaw realized with a jolt that Redfur couldn't know about why Yellowpaw wanted to talk to him, because then she would have to explain the whole Rowenheart situation. She thanked her lucky stars as Willowclans leader, Leafstar, called out to the gathering.

"Why?" Redfur murmured in her ear.

"Sh," Blackclaw shushed, not taking her eyes off the leader.

"Willowclan will start the gathering," Leafstar called out, her voice loud and strong. "We are proud to announce the birth of three beautiful new kits, Lionkit, Mintkit, and Petalkit."

The clans all burst out into happy meows, congratulating the new kits. Blackclaw saw a tired looking she cat stand up proudly, and she figured that must be the mother. She also saw Jaystorm wearily stand up a bit straighter, which was confusing.

_He's a new father... but he's with Lilypaw the apprentice?_

By the look on Redfurs face, Blackclaw knew she was thinking the same thing.

"I'll go next," Tanglestar spoke up after Leafstar was finished. Silverstar and Leafstar smiled encouragingly at him, waiting for him to go on.

Halfstars eyes were expressionless.

Blackclaw thought back to the last gathering, at how Halfstar and Yellowpaw were so hostile. She looked at the way Halfstar was letting all the other leaders talk first and wondered briefly if it was deliberate.

"Darkclan lost a cat this moon," Tanglestar started sadly. "Cloudkit was taken from his nest in the night."

The gathering erupted into shocked howls.

"We believe it was a group of rogues," Tanglestar continued. "The scent of the kidnapper was unknown."

Silverstar looked over at Leafstar, sadness crossing her eyes. Blackclaw knew why, a missing kit was a terrible grief for any clan. She looked over at her leader, to see how he reacted to the news.

Halfstars expression had not changed.

"That's all for Darkclan," Tanglestar said, turning to Halfstar. "Would you like to go next?" he asked him.

"No, I'll go last," Halfstar said slowly. He turned to Silverstar. "You can share now," he said.

Silverstar shot him a confused glance before her announcement. "We're missing a kit too," she said very slowly. "Firekit went missing in the night a few days ago."

The gathering cats didn't cry out this time, however, the tension spiking the air noticeably grew.

"We don't know who took him," Silverstar called out, her voice ringing with pain. "But if you're here, kit stealer, please give him back."

"Do you really think one of us stole him?" a cat from the crowd dared to call out.

"I don't know who took him," Silverstar repeated. "All I know is there is a kit out there who's still young enough to need his mothers milk. He is scared," Silverstar choked. "And he's my son."

"I think I will start now," Halfstar interrupted rudely. The sympathetic murmuring for Silverstar died out at once, replaced with annoyance at Halfstars insensitivity.

"We too have lost a kit," Halfstars voice rang out coldly. "And I know where he is, and where all the others are!"

"We didn't lose a kit!" Blackclaw whispered in alarm to Redfur. "What's he talking about?"

"I don't know," Redfur mumbled back, eyes wide with confusion.

"Willowclan has stolen the kits," Halfstar cried out angrily. The whole of Willowclan broke out into an uproar.

"We stole no kits!" Talonstrike was yelling, fur bristled out in anger.

"What are you talking about, Halfstar?" Leafstar hissed. "How dare you make such accusations to my clan?"

"I would not be accusing unless I were positive I was correct," Halfstar growled. "Leafstar, return the kits to me and the others at once."

"We don't have any stolen kits!" Darkclaw exploded from his spot on the deputy stump.

"Liar," Halfstar hissed down at Willowclans deputy. Then he turned back up to Leafstar. "You have three days," he growled. "Three days to bring us back the kits. Or else we'll attack."

"And we'll help," Silverstar growled, blind to the lies from the loss of her newborn son. "You can't get away with this."

"Count us in too!" Tanglestar howled angrily.

"It's your decision, Leafstar," Halfstars voice rang out eerily and cold. "If you want your clan to survive I suggest you do what I told you."

"This gathering is over," Leafstar whispered barely loud enough for Blackclaw to hear. She turned and jumped off the ledge with Darkclaw behind her.

"Three days, Leafstar," Halfstar called out. "Three days or face the consequences."

Then he and Yellowpaw turned and stalked back over to the Greenclan patrol. "Let's go," Yellowpaw hissed. "We're not socializing tonight."

All Blackclaw could do was follow.


	18. Jaystorms Greenclan Friend

I Fell In Love With My Apprentice

Chapter 18: Jaystorms Greenclan Friend

"How dare they?" Talonstrike hissed, glaring angrily over at the Greenclan patrol, who was stalking their way back through the trees.

"We didn't steal any kits," Jaystorm shook his head in confusion.

"Well, it kind of looks like we did," Lilypaw put in numbly. When Talonstrike and Jaystorm turned around to stare at her, she continued hastily. "A kit from each clan has been stolen," she said. "But none from ours. It looks pretty suspicious."

"I'd like to know just what kit from Greenclan got stolen," Talonstrike growled. "They haven't had a litter in moons."

"What if they just pretended to be missing a kit so they could frame us?" Lilypaw said quietly. Jaystorm laughed shortly. "And why would they do that?"

"The same reason they tried to frame us for Rowenhearts death," Lilypaw muttered. Jaystorm suddenly got a look in his eyes, and he turned to Talonstrike. "She has a point," he said.

Talonstrike sighed and opened his mouth to speak, but stopped when he realized Darkclaw was making his way over.

"I can't believe that just happened," was all he said.

"Me either," Talonstrike hissed. "Now we have three days to return three kits that we don't even have!"

"So what are we going to do?" Lilypaw dared to ask.

"Well, we have two options," Darkclaw said slowly. "One, we could find the kits ourselves."

"And what if we can't do that?" Jaystorm asked.

"There's only one thing we can do if that doesn't work," Darkclaw said grimly. "We'll have to come clean about Rowenheart."

...

Blackclaw pushed her way in through the camps entrance, wearily looking around. She spotted Rosepaw and Scarpaw asleep in the middle of the clearing. _They must have waited up for me, _she thought to herself. She padded over and gently touched Rosepaws flank with her paw. Rosepaws eyes fluttered open sleepily, and she focused her eyes on Blackclaw.

"Hello," Blackclaw said gently.

"Sh," Rosepaw whispered, looking over at Scarpaw. "He just fell asleep."

"Sorry," Blackclaw whispered as quietly as she could. Her heart swelled with pride once again for Rosepaws care for Scarpaw.

"How was the gathering?" Rosepaw said very softly.

"I'll tell you about it in the morning," Blackclaw whispered back, not really wanting to whisper the entire nights events. "It was pretty weird."

Rosepaw yawned and shuffled to her paws. "We should probably be getting to the apprentices den," she said. "It's chilly out here in the open."

Blackclaw watched as Rosepaw gently nudged Scarpaw awake.

"We're gonna get cold if we sleep here all night," she told him. "We should go to the apprentices den."

"I'm comfortable right here," Scarpaw mumbled, not opening his eyes.

"It'll be a lot more comfortable in our den," Rosepaw insisted. Scarpaw sighed and stood up, his fur sticking out in every direction. Then he noticed Blackclaw for the first time.

"We were waiting for you, but we fell asleep," he admitted. "How was the gathering?"

"It was ... interesting," Blackclaw admitted. "Halfstar threatened Willowclan for stealing kits."

"But we don't have any," Scarpaw said, confused.

"I know, I was confused too," Blackclaw sighed, looking around to make sure no one could hear her talking about this to the apprentices. "I'm not sure what he's up to."

"He probably just wants to punish my dad for being friends with my mom," Rosepaw said, yawning. "Now let's go to the den."

Blackclaw followed the two apprentices to the den, an alarm bell ringing dimly in the back of her mind. _What did she mean? _Blackclaw thought. _Does she know who her dad is? And he's in Willowclan?!_

"Goodnight," Blackclaw said softly as the two young cats snuggled next to each other for warmth.

"Blackclaw, you said you'd tell us a story," Rosepaw murmured, voice barely a whisper. Her eyes were shut and Blackclaw figured it wouldn't be long before she fell asleep.

"You're tired," Blackclaw replied. "You should rest."

"Just a short one," Rosepaw insisted. "Please!"

"Well, okay," Blackclaw pushed her way fully into the den, and settled down on her paws. "Which one would you like to hear?"

"The one about the lost kitten."

"You've heard that one so many times you must be able to recite it by heart," Blackclaw said.

"Please."

"Okay," Blackclaw said. "One day, long ago...

_A kitten was born in the dead of winter. The mother cat, gave birth to the young cat in the middle of the forest, all by herself. The little kit was born with dark blue fur, and dark blue eyes. The mother cat figured she must take after the father cat, because she had white fur. The mother cat realized she couldn't care for the kit, so she left her in a sheltered cave... in hopes a good mother cat would come. The kit cried every night for her mom, and went to sleep cold on the stone. Then, one day, a beautiful long furred white cat came along, and saw the kit in the cave. She took her to her home, in a warm place far, far away from the cave. One day, the kit looked up at the white cat who had taken her, and asked her a question._

"_Why did my mother leave me?" the kit asked._

"_Well, she knew you would live a happier life here," the mom cat said gently. "She left me here so I can provide you with comfort and love."_

_The kit yawned and stretched, curling up in the curve of the she cats belly. _

Blackclaw stopped talking, listening to the heavy breathing of Rosepaw and Scarpaw. She got up as silently as she could, so not to wake them. She was just about to leave the den when Rosepaw spoke.

"You didn't finish the last part," Rosepaw murmured, voice barely a whisper.

"I thought you were asleep," Blackclaw whispered, startled that Rosepaw didn't fall asleep.

"Say the last part," Rosepaw whispered, eyes closed into slits. "Please."

"Well, okay," Blackclaw said.

"_Goodnight my darling," the mother cat whispered into the young kit. "See you in the morning."_

"_Goodnight," the kit said back quietly. "I love you."_

"_I love you too," the mother cat replied. _

"There, I'm finished," Blackclaw whispered after finishing the last lines of the story. She was just about to ask Rosepaw if she could sleep now, but when she looked over at her, Rosepaws eyes were shut.

"Are you awake?" Blackclaw asked.

Rosepaw didn't respond, and Blackclaw knew she had fallen asleep.

"Goodnight, my darling," Blackclaw murmured, sorrow and love clutching her heart. Throat closing up in sadness, Blackclaw pushed her way out of the den and into the night.

_..._

"Kits!" Jaystorm called out, looking around. "Kiiiiiiiits!"

"You idiot, they aren't just gonna come to that," Talonstrike growled. "They're hidden somewhere."

"Well I feel like I should be calling something," Jaystorm mumbled.

"This is hopeless, we've been searching all day," Darkclaw broke in angrily. "They're clearly no where on our territory."

"I thought Greenclan would have planted them somewhere around here though," Talonstrike said mildly. "I mean, if they're framing us as thieves they'd want to make it look like it."

"It kind of looked like half the clan was as shocked as we were when Halfstar accused us," Jaystorm said.

"Why do you say that?" Lilypaw spoke for the first time.

"Well, I caught the look on -what's her name? Blacktail?"

"Blackclaw," Talonstrike corrected him grimly. "I know what you're gonna say, I saw her face too. She and her friend looking simply horrified."

"I'm getting the feeling that Greenclan isn't all to blame for this," Darkclaw said slowly. "However I think there's a few cats in there that are." 

"Yellowpaw," Lilypaw and Jaystorm said at the same time. Talonstrike just nodded darkly.

"Well, fortunately for Yellowpaw, his plan worked," Darkstripe said scathingly. "Everyone believed him."

"Speaking of kits, shouldn't you be back at the camp taking care of yours?" Talonstrike asked Jaystorm. Jaystorm shrugged awkwardly and looked down. "I was with them before we left," he replied. "They fell asleep so it's okay."

"Alright," Talonstrike said, voice expressionless. "If you say so."

"Now let's think of a plan,"Jaystorm said hastily. Lilypaw was under the sudden impression he was deliberately dropping the subject.

"Right," Darkclaw agreed. "So let's just assume the kits are in Greenclan. How do we get to them?"

"We can't just snoop around," Talonstrike mumbled. "We'd get caught so fast we wouldn't even be able to blink."

"Yes," Darkclaw said. "Yes, we'll need to think of something a little better than that."

"Does anyone here know any Greenclan cats?" Lilypaw broke in. "I'm don't, because I've been alive half as long as the rest of you."

"What are you saying?" Darkclaw asked.

"I'm saying that if one of you has friends in Greenclan, then we could use it to our advantage," Lilypaw explained. Talonstrike snorted. "I don't have any friends in there. That clan is nasty mean."

"Halfstar and I got along a while ago," Darkclaw admitted. "But after Yellowpaw was appointed deputy, he won't even look at me."

Lilypaw turned to Jaystorm, expecting him to say something similar. To her surprise, he looked almost nervous.

"I know a cat in there that I get along with," he mumbled. "I could maybe talk to her."

"Who are you friends with in _Greenclan?" _Talonstrike scoffed.

"You probably don't know her," Jaystorm said quickly. Darkclaw narrowed his eyes. "I've met ever cat in this forest at least twice, Jaystorm," he growled. "Don't try to pull that."

"Her names Reedflower," Jaystorm sighed angrily. "Happy?"

"Reedflower," Talonstrike repeated before Darkclaw could respond. "Why does that name sound familiar?"

"Because she's the one who dumped her kit over our border," Darkclaw growled. "Without taking the time to check to see if there was a patrol there."

"Oh, _right!" _Talonstrike rolled his eyes as he thought of the horrible mother. "I thought she was mentally ill."

"Why?" Darkclaw asked.

"Well, for starters she ditched her kit on our border," Talonstrike said sarcastically. "And secondly, she started spouting nonsense of the kit having a better life with her father."

"One of Willowclans warriors has a kit in Greenclan?" Lilypaw gasped, shocked. "Who would do such a thing?"

"No one knows," Darkclaw said grimly. "No one ever came clean."

"So, why are you friends with such a terrible cat?" Lilypaw asked Jaystorm, vaguely taking into account that he had remained silent throughout the whole conversation.

"Oh, we just started chatting at a gathering once," Jaystorm said simply. "She didn't seem that bad to me."

"She sounds nasty," Lilypaw wrinkled her nose in disgust.

"Not only that, there's also a cat in Willowclan that's deceiving us," Talonstrike put in. "I just don't have the slightest clue who it could be."

"Can we please just get back on topic?" Jaystorm asked angrily. The other three turned to stare at him, confused by his outburst.

"Sorry," Jaystorm apologized. "I just want to find these kits before we have the rest of the forest coming after us."

"He's right," Talonstrike nodded. "Jaystorm, you go find Reedflower. And catch her alone, we don't want to raise suspicion."

"How am I supposed to find her on her own?" Jaystorm cried.

"I don't know, throw a pinecone when she's on a patrol or something," Talonstrike said in exasperation. "Look, I don't know! Just think of something!"

"While I'm doing that what are you gonna do?" Jaystorm asked.

"We have to actually finish this patrol," Talonstrike replied. "We should have been back moons ago."

"What if someone asks why I'm not here?" Jaystorm asked.

"I'll say you stopped to hunt," Talonstrike said, turning around. "Good luck with Reedflower," he called as he started to walk away. "Let us know how it went when you get back!"


	19. Moonpaws Confession

I Fell in Love With My Apprentice

Chapter 19: Moonpaws Confession

"I was wondering when you would come," Reedflower said quietly, so not to raise alarm. "I was starting to think you were done with me altogether."

"Well, what was I supposed to do?" Jaystorm sighed in exasperation. "We're from different clans."

"Right," Reedflower said. After a few long moments, she spoke again. "So, was there a reason you made me leave my patrol to see you?"

"Well, yes," Jaystorm admitted. "But it's not about us."

"Will there ever be a time when you'll talk to me about us?" Reedflower hissed.

"Now is not the time for this conversation," Jaystorm growled. "Look, you probably know about the problem with the kits."

"I know," Reedflower said grimly. "I was at the gathering."

"Okay well, my clan is kind of screwed without those kits," Jaystorm mumbled. "Do you know where they are?"

Reedflower glared at him for a solid ten seconds before she spoke again.

"We're missing a kit too," she hissed at last. "How should I know where they are?"

"Come _on, _Reedflower," Jaystorm argued. "We both know that your clan isn't missing a kit. There hasn't been a pregnant cat in your clan since..." Jaystorm hesitated before continuing.

"Before me?" Reedflower finished the sentence scathingly. Jaystorm hastily nodded.

"So you mean to come into my clan, attack me with accusations, and expect to tell you secrets of my clanmates?" Reedflower snapped. "You've got a lot of nerve, Jaystorm."

"Reedflower, _please," _Jaystorm pleaded. "I'm desperate here."

"And so was I, when you got me pregnant," Reedflower said softly. "You left me in the cold to fend for myself."

"It was for the best," Jaystorm said sadly. "Look, I told you I'm really, really sorry..."

"Sorry doesn't cut it," Reedflower hissed angrily. "You abandoned me with a kit. Your kit."

"Reedflower-"

"And now I'm stuck living each day looking across the camp at a face that looks just like yours," Reedflower choked. "Rosepaw is a sickening resemble of you. And I will never forgive you for it," Reedflower hissed. "And also, I will never forgive Rosepaw for burdening me with this."

"Rosepaw never did-"

"Go home, Jaystorm," Reedflower interrupted. "And don't come back. You left me alone once when I needed you most. Now, it's your turn."

...

"Where's Jaystorm?" Darkclaw asked as he padded up to his friends. "I thought he would be back by now."

"We've been sitting here since he left," Talonstrike sighed. "Overall we've been sitting her for a long time."

"Do you think he's alright?" Darkclaw asked, gazing off across the Greenclan border.

"I don't know, but I'm sick of sitting in this bush," Talonstrike mumbled, getting up. Lilypaw followed him, stretching her legs and yawning.

"Should we go in and see if he got attacked or something?" Talonstrike suggested.

"Oh great idea," Darkclaw scoffed. "Let's just parade into Greenclan and ask the nearest patrol if they've seen our friend wandering around."

"Well I don't know what else we can do," Talonstrike mumbled. "We can't sit around and wait all day. We have hunting to do."

"Well, we're not gonna have to wait much longer," Lilypaw said mildly, nodded her head in the direction of Greenclan. "I think I see him."

Darkclaw turned to see the yellow pelt of Jaystorm making his way over.

"Took him long enough," Darkclaw muttered, waving his tail to get his attention.

"Sorry that took so long," Jaystorm apologized as he came into earshot. "I thought I smelled a patrol so I had to wait it out in a bush."

"Well, that makes three of us," Talonstrike said, looking down at Lilypaw. Lilypaw giggled.

"Did you find out where the kits are?" Darkclaw asked.

"Nope, she wouldn't tell me anything," Jaystorm said, looking down. "It was more or less a waste of time.

"Great," Darkclaw snapped. "Now it's back to square one."

Jaystorm didn't reply.

"Well, we're already down one day," Talonstrike said grimly. "Times starting to run out."

"Ugh, if I were a kit where would I hide?" Darkclaw asked to no one in particular. "Alright, everyone. Think."

The four remained mute until Lilypaw broke the silence. "What about the tunnels?"

"I'm not going down there as long as I live," Jaystorm mumbled. "I made that promise the day I almost drowned.

"The tunnels are flooded," Darkclaw nodded grimly. "Not to mention no one even knows about the tunnels except for us."

"Oh yeah," Jaystorm mumbled. Lilypaw looked at him strangely. He was acting slightly off.

Darkclaw opened his mouth to say something but stopped when he heard a snap. He looked around to see a small tail hanging out of a bush. Darkclaw gave a big sigh and rolled his eyes.

"Moonpaw, if you're going to spy on us at least keep your tail tucked in."

Moonpaw groaned and walked out of the bush.

"How long have you been standing there?" Darkclaw snapped, annoyed. "And don't you know it's rude to eavesdrop?"

"I'm sorry," Moonpaw mumbled. "But I heard you talking about the kits and I just needed to listen."

"This was a personal conversation, Moonpaw," Talonstrike put in sternly.

"I know!" Moonpaw cried. "But I had to listen!"

"Why?" Jaystorm asked.

"Because, I think I know where the kits are," Moonpaw said quickly.

"Oh?" Darkclaws irritated expression turned curious. "Where?"

"By the gathering clearing," Moonpaw said quietly. "Rosepaw told me about this little spot she and Scarpaw liked to play after the gathering. They showed me it," he admitted. "It's really hidden."

"What if Scarpaw and Rosepaw are the only ones who knows about it?" Jaystorm asked, stumbling slightly over Rosepaws name.

"They're not," Moonpaw said. "Rosepaw said her mom liked to go there to meet up with her dad."

Everyone seemed to pause for several heartbeats, a strange sensation seemed to flood over the cats. Lilypaw turned her head to look at Jaystorm, and was confused to see his frightened expression.

"Jaystorm?" Lilypaw said quietly. "What's going on?"

Jaystorm blinked twice and looked away. "Nothing," he mumbled. "I-I don't know."

Lilypaw felt as though her heart had dropped out of her chest and deflated on the forest floor. Her legs started to shake, and her breath came out in gasps. Lilypaw knew what was going on before she even asked the dreaded question.

"Jaystorm?" Lilypaw gulped. "Are you... Rosepaws father?"

"What are you talking about, how could he be-" Talonstrike broke off as he caught the expression on Jaystorms face. "Oh my god."

"I can explain," Jaystorm said, voice cracking. "It happened so long ago that..." his voice trailed off, and he started to shake. Turning to Lilypaw, his eyes were desperate. "I'm sorry," he whispered. "I'm so sorry."

Lilypaw stood numb, in complete shock and disbelief. The other cats stood dead silent, not daring to cut in.

"Lilypaw," Jaystorm pleaded. "You have to forgive me. We're mates!"

"The thing is," Lilypaw said slowly, eyes wide. "I don't think we are anymore," and with that, she turned and ran away, tears streaming from her eyes.

A/n : Hello everyone. Sorry for the lack of updates... but in my defense, the past week has been spring break so I've been super busy with work and parties and all that crap. I'll try to update sooner now because I'm back at school!


	20. Death Is Such a Tease

I Fell In Love With My Apprentice

Chapter 20: Death is Such a Tease

I've screwed up before. Yes, I've made up lies. Who hasn't? I wish I had never even met Reedflower, it wasn't my fault what happened. Well, technically it was, but I never meant to burden her with the "miracle" of kits. That was so not my intentions. But now, she has Rosepaw. I have Rosepaw. And my three beautiful kits that Hollyfern brought into the world. I love them. I love all of them.

But I love Lilypaw just the same.

And now she hates me, she won't even talk to me.

And I'd do anything, to get her back.

...

"Where's this spot you were talking about, Moonpaw?" Darkclaw said impatiently. "We've been walking around the clearing for a long time."

"I'm not lost," Moonpaw said in a huff. Darkclaw forced himself not to roll his eyes. "I didn't say we were."

"It's around here, I'm sure of it," Moonpaw said, sniffing daintily at a holly bush. "I used to come here all the time."

"This is the third time you've said that," Talonstrike broke in. "I'm starting to think you made the whole thing up to compensate for the fact you were caught eavesdropping."

Moonpaw grumbled something inaudible and pushed his head through the bush. "Nope, not here," he called out.

Darkclaw sighed and gave an exasperated look at Talonstrike. Talonstrike returned the gaze, and shrugged slightly.

"Let's check over here again," Moonpaw said quickly, and stalked back to the spot where they had already checked four times.

"Leafstars going to wonder what's come of us," Talonstrike whispered. "We've been gone for nearly half the day."

"Well, Jaystorm might have gone back to the camp," Darkclaw replied. "Maybe he told Leafstar what we were doing."

"That's a pretty big assumption to make," Talonstrike said briskly. "We don't even know if he went back to the camp or not."

"Well, where else would he go?" Darkclaw sighed.

"He's probably off sulking in the forest somewhere."

"I found it!" Moonpaws shrill voice distracted Darkclaw from his thoughts. He padded over to where Moonpaw was standing, his face shining with excitement.

"Let me see," Darkclaw shoved past the excited apprentice and poked his head through the branches. "Moonpaw, what are you talking about?" Darkclaw hissed. "There's nothing here but-"

his voice trailed off as he heard a noise.

A little mew was crying.

Darkclaw heaved himself through the branches, ignoring Moonpaws protests that he was wrecking the wall. He used a paw to gently move some brush aside, heart hammering.

Firekit and Cloudkit sat huddled next to each other.

"Don't come near us," the little orange kit squeaked. Darkclaw assumed he was Firekit.

"Yeah!" the other kit, a white and gray tom that must have been Cloudkit, added. "We've been practicing our fighting and we'll tear you to shreds!"

"How long have you been sitting in here?" Darkclaw asked gently.

"Four moon rises," Firekit replied.

"Don't tell him!" Cloudkit hissed. "He's the enemy!"

"I'm not the enemy," Darkclaw whispered, sadness gripping his heart at the unfairness the kits had gone through. "I'm here to take you home."

"Oh," Firekit and Cloudkit went silent for a second.

"Yellowpaw said this was our home now," Firekit said at last, looking down at the forest floor.

"Yellowpaws a very bad cat," Talonstrike said gently. "And he will pay for what he did to you."

"So we can go back to our clans?" Cloudkit asked quietly. "To our mother and father?"

"Yes, we're going to take you home right now," Darkclaw said, anger boiling beneath his pelt. _I knew Yellowpaw was evil, but this is too much, _he thought mutinously. _I'm starting to think he doesn't have a soul at all._

"Come on," Talonstrike said sadly to the kits. "Let's go home."

...

Jaystorm wandered blindly through the trees, his sense of direction fading. His paws stumbled over small rocks and twigs, and the occasional thorn pierced painfully through the soft part of his paw.

Jaystorm didn't care.

_She hates me, HATES me, _he thought dismally. _Oh but it's not her fault. It's my fault. It's ALWAYS my fault! _

An open stream came into view at the last second, and Jaystorm stopped walking to stare out at it. Sunlight glimmered over the surface, and the damp rocks glittered.

_Come in, come in, _it seemed to say.

_The streams will cleanse your sins._

"How can they?" Jaystorm screamed out over the water. His voice echoed, hollow against the wind. "I screwed up! I screwed up so badly, that no amount of cleansing would ever rid my soul of this BURDEN OF MY LIFE!" Jaystorm was starting to see red, but it didn't matter anymore. He slowly walked forward, the stream lapping at his paws.

"I hate you," Jaystorm whispered. "You say life is a gift? Ha!" he laughed angrily. "Well, I'm pretty much done with your gift! It ruined me! Chewed me up and spat me out so many times I don't even know, how to get up anymore!" He walked in deeper, and sank down. The water bubbled over his nose, and he choked on the cold stream.

_Come in, come in_

"Oh, you'd like that, wouldn't you," Jaystorm whispered under the water. "You'd like nothing more then for me to just die."

"Death is such a tease, ain't it?"

Jaystorms eyes blinked open as he realized he wasn't imagining that voice. He didn't turn around, he didn't want to see what it was.

"I need to leave this world," Jaystorm choked out to the unknown cat. "This isn't right, nothings right..."

"So you were going to drown yourself?" the voice said.

"Well," Jaystorm snapped, sobs choking out as he spoke. "I can't just run away from this. I can't erase my past."

"What about your future?"

"WHAT future?" Jaystorm screamed. "I don't have one anymore, I ruined it!" he got up and walked in deeper, the red haze was starting to blind him again.

"Jaystorm, stop."

"They want me to live," Jaystorm seethed. "That's their punishment for me. And I won't have it like that! I decide when I die!"

"You freaking idiot."

Jaystorm stopped walking as he realized something vital. He was starting to recognize the voice of the speaker.

"You think dying will fix things?" the cat continued, voice raising in anger. "That would mean leaving your three kits without a father. Rosepaw, without a father."

"I'm a horrid father," Jaystorm whispered.

"You can change."

"I don't think I can anymore."

"Without you, the fearsome four wouldn't be anymore."

"They don't care," Jaystorm hissed. "They don't need me. No one needs me."

"I need you," the speaker snapped. "So get out of that stream before I drag you out myself."

Jaystorm stood rigid still, and after a few moments he finally turned around.

"I don't feel like I deserve to live this life," Jaystorm whispered, looking into the eyes of the cat who was talking to him. "I don't have a reason to be here."

"Then you're just going to have to find one," Lilypaw whispered. "Now please. Let's go home."


	21. Living In Dreams, While Reality Fades

I Fell In Love With My Apprentice

Chapter 21: Living In Dreams, While Reality Slips Away

"Okay, I'm actually starting to get concerned," Talonstrike said after a long moment of hesitation. "Where is Jaystorm and Lilypaw?"

"How should I know?" Darkclaw hissed in exasperation. "They could be anywhere in the forest for crying out loud."

"Well we can't wait around for them forever," Talonstrike mumbled. "I say we take these kits back on our own."

"It would look better if we all do it," Darkclaw argued. "If the entire fearsome foursome goes over there, it would probably have a better effect than just half of us."

"How do we even know there is a fearsome four anymore?" Talonstrike asked cautiously. "After what just happened... I don't know if they'll even be able to be around each other anymore."

"Are you talking about Lilypaw and Jaystorm?"

"Who else would I be talking about?" Talonstrike snapped. After a long pause, he spoke again more gently. "I can't believe Jaystorm actually has a kit in Greenclan."

"I know," Darkclaw said grimly. "It's also unfortunate we had to find out like that."

"It's his own freaking fault," Talonstrike mumbled. "At the rate he's going, the entire forest will soon just be a collection of Jaystorms kits."

"I wonder how he even met Reedflower in the first place anyway," Talonstrike said. "It seems strange."

"Of course it's strange."

"Well, not like that," Talonstrike said slowly.

"What do you mean?" Darkclaw asked, his annoyance replacing with curiosity.

"I mean, something seems ... off," Talonstrike said at last. "I have a feeling something strange is going on."

"Yeah, well," Darkclaw broke off as he saw something. "What do you know. Speak of the devil, and the devil shall appear."

Talonstrike turned around and saw what he was talking about at once.

Jaystorm and Lilypaw were walking side by side towards them.

"What do we say?" Talonstrike said in panic. "This is so stressful-"

"Calm down," Darkclaw whispered. "Just don't even mention what happened. Don't say one word."

"Okay," Talonstrike said unconvincingly.

"Hello," Lilypaw said awkwardly as she approached them. Jaystorm nodded his head without meeting their eyes.

"What were you two doing?" Talonstrike said, obviously thinking out each word before he said it. "These kits need to be getting back to their clans as soon as possible."

Jaystorm looked over at Firekit and Cloudkit, who were sleeping next to each other in a pile of leaves.

"And why are you wet?" Darkclaw blurted out, staring at Jaystorms sodden pelt.

"I was swimming," Jaystorm mumbled.

"Uh, okay," Darkclaw said, deciding to dismiss the matter even though he knew it was a lie. The four cats stood awkwardly for a solid few moments before anyone spoke.

"So uh, we should probably go to Treeclan first," Talonstrike said gruffly, and everyone sighed as the tension eased. "Silverstar is worried sick about Firekit."

"Alright," Jaystorm agreed.

Darkclaw looked at Jaystorm, then at Lilypaw. They stood deathly still, not looking at each other. Darkclaw then heard a sort of snorting sound from beside him. He looked over to see Talonstrike making a big show of not saying anything.

"What are you doing?" Jaystorm snapped.

"What's going on with you two?" the words seemed to explode out of Talonstrikes mouth.

"Talonstrike!" Darkclaw hissed. "What did I just tell you not to do?"

"I couldn't help it!" Talonstrike wailed. "I need to know!"

"Everything's fine," Lilypaw said cooly, narrowing her eyes. "Don't worry."

"Yeah," Jaystorm said bluntly. "We're good."

"Alright..." Darkclaw said slowly. "If you say so."

...

"What's Lilypaw doing?" Moonpaw asked Jinglepaw, as he stared at was going on. Across the clearing, Lilypaw was hesitantly walking back and forth from a tree stump to the medicine cats den.

"It looks as though she can't make up her mind if whether she's sick or not," Jinglepaw snorted, as Lilypaw looked at the medicine cats den for several heartbeats before stalking back to the stump.

"I don't know what's going on," Moonpaw murmured sadly. "She looks so distraught."

"It might be because none of her friends are around," Jinglepaw shrugged. "She's usually stuck by those three tom cats every second of the day."

"Well, Jaystorms here," Moonpaw replied. "I saw him not moments ago. I thought they were mates."

"I heard they broke up," Jingle argued.

"Well, I heard they got back together," Moonpaw muttered. "It's a shame."

"Aw, are you still hung up on Lilypaw?" Jinglepaw asked. "I thought you didn't like her anymore."

"It's not my fault!" Moonpaw exploded. "Feelings are feelings."

"Yeah well, the object of your 'feelings' is taken," Jinglepaw whispered. "She's an old soul, Moonpaw. Lilypaw has the body of a young cat but the mind of a senior warrior."

"It's stupid," Moonpaw hissed. "If Darkclaw hadn't reigned her in, she'd still be one of us. He ripped her kit hood out of her paws before she even had a chance to hold it."

"She seems content enough," Jinglepaw shrugged. "She never looks sad."

"Except for right now," Moonpaw said. "I'm going to go figure out what's wrong."

"Good luck," Jinglepaw called after him. Moonpaw flicked his tail in reply and made his way over to where Lilypaw was pacing.

"What are you doing?" he asked when he was in earshot.

"I have anxiety," Lilypaw snapped, not slowing down her pacing.

"Well, can I talk to you?" Moonpaw called after her as she stomped over to the medicine cats den for the sixth time.

"If you walk with me," Lilypaw called back. "I'm not stopping."

Moonpaw sighed and ran to keep up with her. He hadn't even gotten close to her when he could feel her apprehension coming off her pelt in waves. He sensed a sickening tension flowing off her spiked fur on her spine, and he wondered in alarm what was wrong.

"Why do you have anxiety?" Moonpaw asked as he walked beside her. "Me and Jinglepaw could tell something was up across the clearing."

"My life's a mess," Lilypaw said simply. Moonpaw was about to gently suggest if she wanted to talk about it, but he didn't have to. Lilypaw started explaining it before he had a chance to ask.

"It's just like, I feel like everything I know is a lie," she said angrily.

"With Jaystorm?" Moonpaw pressed, even though he didn't particularly want to discuss Lilypaws horrid choice of a mate.

"Well, yeah," Lilypaw said.

"What did he do?"

"I mean, like, he has three kits with Hollyfern," Lilypaw said, ignoring him. "And that's _fine. _It happened before we were together."

"So... what's the problem?" Moonpaw was confused.

"I don't want to talk about it," Lilypaw muttered. Moonpaw looked at her face and came to conclusion that the last thing she wanted to do was not talk about it.

"So," Moonpaw said, and before he could say anything else, Lilypaw opened her mouth to speak.

"I just can't believe he's Rosepaws father," she said angrily.

"Oh, that," Moonpaw thought back to the days earlier events and cringed. "That was a pretty awful way to find out."

"He lied to me," Lilypaw growled. "He lied to everyone."

"So, what are you going to do?" Moonpaw asked, trying to shove away the nagging hope that she would leave him for good.

"I don't know what to do," Lilypaw whispered.

"Are you going to be mates still?" Moonpaw blurted out before he realized how prying that was. However, Lilypaw didn't notice he was digging for information.

"No, we are not mates anymore," Lilypaw said at last. "I love him dearly, but I can't live my life that way."

"Why not?"

"My life is just starting," Lilypaw sighed. "And it'll be gone sooner if I waste it all looking after kits that Jaystorm brought into the world."

"I think it's a good choice," Moonpaw said kindly, struggling to keep the pep out of his voice. "Does he know this already?"

"I told him a while ago," Lilypaw whispered. "When we walked back to camp together."

"Is he okay?"

"He'll heal," Lilypaw said confidently. "I mean, I think we were both just infatuated by the beginning. It was so exciting, forbidden. Now that we're actually y'know, together, reality sunk in."

"Reality can't go away," Moonpaw smiled.

"I know," Lilypaw said, looking at him with bright eyes. "Sometimes it just takes a little while to see that."


	22. Dreams So Real

I Fell In Love With My Apprentice

Chapter 22: Dreams So Real

"Good morning Hollyfern," Talonstrike said kindly as he padded into the nursery. "How are the kits doing?"

"Same as always," Hollyfern said warily, sighing as Lionkit gave a hurling shriek and jumped onto her belly.

"They're growing so fast," Talonstrike commented, looking fondly at the kits.

"They aren't growing fast enough in my opinion," Hollyfern chuckled. "The clans going to have their paws full when these three are made into apprentices."

"I want to be an apprentice _now," _Mintkit demanded hotly.

"For the fourth time today, you aren't old enough," Hollyfern replied. "You have to wait a bit longer."

"How are they doing with Jaystorm?" Talonstrike asked vaguely, picking apart a piece of grass under his paws. Hollyfern looked at him for a few moments before she replied.

"He visits enough," was all she said.

"Ah, well, good," Talonstrike said hastily as he backed out of the nursery. "See you later, Hollyfern."

"Bye," Hollyfern called after him. Talonstrike pushed his way out of the den and into the open clearing. Sunlight warmed his pelt, and he closed his eyes against the brightness. _This is going to be a nice day, _he thought to himself. _I already did the morning patrol. There is plenty of fresh kill. All we need to do now is the evening patrol and todays chores will be done! _He was just in the process of deciding whether or not he wanted to indulge himself in a middle of the day snack when his eyes glanced across the clearing. _That's weird, _he thought to himself as he saw Lilypaw pacing back and forth from a tree stump and the medicine cats den. _That's really strange… I saw her pacing back and forth from that exact spot yesterday. _He watched as she made her way hastily back to the medicine cats den. This time she paused warily, and looked into the den. Then she sighed and paced back to the stump. Talonstrike got a funny feeling in his belly, and he didn't know what it was.

"Hey Lilypaw," Talonstrike called, after deciding he couldn't watch her pace any longer without knowing why. "What are you doing?"

"Getting exercise," was Lilypaws feverish response.

"Why don't you go into the forest?" Talonstrike asked, confused. "Why do you have to do it in the camp?"

"I dunno," Lilypaw mumbled. Talonstrike funny feeling grew sourer than before.

"Are you sick?" he asked. Lilypaw jumped and glared at him as if he had hit her. "No," she snapped. "Why would you even say that?"

"Because every time you get to the den, you look in as if you're contemplating something," Talonstrike explained slowly. "I'm not stupid."

"I just need to talk to Rainsong about something, that's all," Lilypaw mumbled.

"About what…" Talonstrikes voice trailed off. Lilypaw sighed and looked around before she spoke. "This is gonna sound like a really strange question," she mumbled. "But do I look fat to you?"

"You were right," Talonstrike said awkwardly. "That is a really weird question."

"Just answer it."

Talonstrike awkwardly looked Lilypaw up and down, while she waited impatiently.

"You look the same as you always do," he said at last, truly meaning it. "Why, have you been eating more lately?"

"Yeah, I guess so," Lilypaw mumbled. "I just wanted to talk to Rainsong to see if she had anything for my bellyaches I've been having."

"Why does that take so long to comprehend?" Talonstrike asked in disbelief.

"It just does!" Lilypaw snapped angrily. They stood awkwardly for several seconds before either one of them spoke again.

"So uh, is there a reason why you've been so moody?" Talonstrike smiled slightly, hoping it would mask his subtle prying.

"Can I talk to you about something?" Lilypaw suddenly blurted out. Talonstrike flicked an ear. "Uh, okay."

"It's about how kits are born," Lilypaw said hastily. At once Talonstrikes face heated up and his spine tingled. "Uh, you should probably talk to your mom or some other she cat about that," he said awkwardly.

"I can't talk to my mom, you idiot," Lilypaw sighed. "And I can't talk to any she cats because I don't really know any."

"What about Jaystorm or Darkclaw?" Talonstrike suggested. "Leafstar or Rainsong?"

"I'm not just going to go up to my leader and ask her how kits are born," Lilypaw sighed. "And I'm too awkward to talk to Rainsong. And the last thing I want to do is talk to Darkclaw about it and I'm not going to talk to Jaystorm. For obvious reasons."

"Well, uh," Talonstrikes face grew warmer. "What do you want to know about it?"

"How does a she cat get pregnant?" Lilypaw asked desperately. Talonstrike inwardly groaned and wished he never came to ask her what was wrong in the first place.

"Don't you know how it works?" Talonstrike asked gruffly.

"No one ever explained it to me," Lilypaw mumbled.

"Well," Talonstrike sighed. "Firstly, are you worried you might be… pregnant?"

"I dunno," Lilypaw whispered. "I don't know how one gets to be, so I need you to explain it."

"Can I do it later?" Talonstrike stalled.

"No," Lilypaw snapped. "Right now!"

"Alright. Ahem," Talonstrike closed his eyes and forced the explanation out of his mouth in one breath. When Lilypaw didn't respond, he peeked one eye open. He choked back a laugh as he saw Lilypaws look of horrid disgust.

"So uh, that's the only way you'd be pregnant," he said feebly. "Um, so, did you and Jaystorm… do that?"

"That's DISGUSTING!" Lilypaw cried. "Ugh! No, we didn't!" then her face brightened up visibly, and she smiled. "Well, at least I don't have any kits in my belly," she said happily. "Thanks, Talonstrike."

"You're welcome," Talonstrike said. "Now, if you don't mind, I'm going to sit in my den for a while and wait for my face to cool down."

Lilypaw giggled, and looked up at him kindly. "Okay."

Talonstrike nodded awkwardly at her and started making his way to his den.

"Wait, Talonstrike?"

"Yes?" Talonstrike turned around.

"How do the kits come out?" Lilypaw asked, cocking her head to one side. "I don't get it."

"I'm not gonna explain that!" Talonstrike sighed as his face heated up again. "Ask a she cat!"

Lilypaw started laughing hysterically, and Talonstrike took this as his only chance to leave the conversation. He turned around to start walking again, but accidently crashed head first into Jaystorm.

"Oh, Jaystorm, hey," Talonstrike said awkwardly. Jaystorm narrowed his eyes. "What's wrong with you?" he asked. "Why are you so jumpy?"

"Oh, no reason," Talonstrike mumbled. "I was just talking to Lilypaw."

"Huh," Jaystorm narrowed his eyes even more. "About what?"

"You really don't want to know," Talonstrike sighed. "Now if you excuse me, I'm going to go have a nap now."

"It's… the middle of the day," Jaystorm said slowly.

"I know, better late than never," Talonstrike didn't make eye contact as he pushed past his friend. "Talk to you later."

"Uh, bye," Jaystorm said in confusion. Talonstrike nearly ran to the warriors den, and pushed his way through as fast as he could. He found his nest in the back of the den, and he curled up in it. His heart was hammering in his chest, and his anxiety bled like an open wound. _I just explained the birds and the bees, to an apprentice, _he thought to himself. _Well, it's not like I just forced the information upon her. She asked a question, so I answered it. _Talonstrikes heart rate slowed down as he realized he had done nothing except help a good friend. _She is a good friend, _he thought happily. _That's all. I was just helping. _Then his breathing slowed, and he was asleep.

"_How are kits born, Talonstrike?" Lilypaw asked. "I still don't get it!" _

"_I thought I already told you," Talonstrike said. "I explained it all the other day, remember?"_

"_I know," Lilypaw looked up at him, her eyes looked even greener than before. "But… I'm still confused. Why would cats do that thing you told me about?"_

"_Well, when they love each other, one thing leads to another," Talonstrike said, wondering briefly why he wasn't getting awkward. "When two cats want to create a special bond, they do that. And then in a few moons, kits are born."_

"_I'd never do that with Jaystorm," Lilypaw wrinkled her nose in disgust. "He has enough kits to last him for a while."_

"_Yeah, no doubt."_

"_Why haven't you done that with anyone, Talonstrike?" Lilypaw asked, pressing closer to him. "Don't you feel a special bond with anyone?"_

"_I do, but it's against the warrior code to do that kind of stuff with an apprentice," Talonstrike said casually, as if it were no big deal at all. "A good warrior would wait until the apprentice is a warrior too, well; at least that's what the good cats would do."_

"_And what about the bad cats?" Lilypaw whispered. "What would they do?" _

Talonstrike woke up with a jolt, a cold sweat making his bones cold. He sat rigid still, staring out into nothing as he thought about his dream. _Oh GOD, OH GOOD FREAKING GOD. _Talonstrike wanted to open his mouth and wail, but he thought better of it as Leafstar poked her head into the den.

"Why are you in here?" Leafstar asked.

"I didn't feel well, so I took a nap," Talonstrike said feebly. _Well that's not entirely a lie, _he thought to himself. _I feel sick to my stomach. _

"Well, I hope it's nothing serious, because I need you to run a patrol," Leafstar said.

"Alright," Talonstrike used all his strength to push his inappropriate thoughts out of his mind. He followed his leader out into the open clearing, and paused when he realized how dark it was.

"You're doing the night patrol," Leafstar explained.

"What happened to the evening patrol?" Talonstrike asked, confused.

"Well, I thought it got done, until I realized Darkclaw was in the medicine cats den all day with greencough," Leafstar sighed in exasperation. "Of course, no one bothered to tell me my deputy was sick. So I'm putting you in charge of tonight's patrol."

"Okay, so I can bring whoever I want?" Talonstrike asked briskly, hoping he sounded as if nothing was on his mind.

"Yes, just make sure you include Lilypaw," Leafstar instructed. Talonstrikes heart dropped once again. "Why?"

"She's been wandering around the camp all day," Leafstar sighed. "She needs to get out."

"Okay, I'm just going to go see Darkclaw first," Talonstrike said, pushing past her. "Then I'll get the patrol sorted out."

"Okay," Leafstar called after him. "See you in the morning."

Talonstrike flicked his tail in reply, and raced towards the medicine cats den. He pushed his way in and loudly made his way over to where Darkclaw was laying.

_He can't be that sick, _Talonstrike thought desperately. _I'm sure he's perfectly fine to do a patrol. _Talonstrike usually would have jumped at the chance to lead a patrol, but tonight the last thing he wanted to do was wander around the forest in the middle of the night with _Lilypaw. _Talonstrike took a deep breath and jabbed Darkclaw in the side. Darkclaw coughed feebly and opened his eyes into slits to look at him.

"What?" Darkclaw asked, his usual annoyed edge to his tone wasn't there, and Talonstrike gulped. _Maybe he really is sick. _

"I'm supposed to do a night patrol, but I was wondering if you were well enough to lead it," Talonstrike whispered. Darkclaw coughed several more times before replying.

"I can barely find the strength to eat, yet alone patrol the entire freaking border," he whispered, voice feeble and hoarse. "Just do it yourself."

"I can't," Talonstrike said desperately.

"Why?"

"I uh, had a weird dream," Talonstrike said, realizing he sounded extremely immature.

"How about you stop acting like a kit and go do the patrol," Darkclaw mumbled, shutting his eyes. "Goodnight."

"Night," Talonstrike gulped. He walked out of the den in silence, looking around. He spotted Lilypaw walking out of the apprentices den, stretching each leg as she walked. She gave a big yawn before she saw him. Talonstrike awkwardly waved his tail to get her attention. Lilypaw smiled and walked over to him, blinking the sleep out of her eyes.

"Why are you up?" he asked her when she approached him.

"I had the weirdest dream, like, ever," Lilypaw said, oblivious to the fact the Talonstrike was having a mini heart attack in his mind.

"Well, that makes two of us," he said, face heating up.

He couldn't meet her eyes.


	23. Slash Slash Slash

I Fell In Love With My Apprentice

Chapter 23: Slash, Slash, Slash

Darkclaw sighed angrily as he heard a noise coming from the den entrance. He peeked open one eye to see what it was, and inwardly groaned. Talonstrike, Jaystorm and Lilypaw were all stuffing their way into the tiny den. _I was almost asleep, _he thought in annoyance. _And then they come crashing in here like a herd of badgers. _

"I _told _you he was sleeping!" Darkclaw heard Jaystorm hiss.

"Well, after the way you were stomping around, I doubt he still is," Talonstrike replied in an angry whisper. Darkclaw then decided to pretend to be sleeping just to get some entertainment.

"I think he still is," Lilypaw whispered. Darkclaw waited patiently for one of them to poke him. After several long seconds, a paw jabbed him gently in the side. _Ha, _Darkclaw thought. _Called it. _"Maybe he's really asleep," Lilypaw whispered.

"Maybe he's dead!" Jaystorm shrieked.

"You're such an idiot," Talonstrike snapped. Darkclaw then felt him poke him on the side again, harder this time.

"Darkclaw, we need to talk to you," he said.

"You three are annoying," Darkclaw snapped. "What do you want?"

"It's about Greenclan," Talonstrike said grimly. Darkclaw groaned. The last thing he wanted to do was talk about that while he had a pounding headache.

"We'll talk about it later," Darkclaw mumbled. "I feel horrible."

"We need to talk about it now," Talonstrike argued.

"For gods sake," Darkclaw hissed. "Get on with it then."

"Well, we just did the dawn patrol," Talonstrike started. "When we past Greenclan we ran into Yellowpaw."

Despite his sickness, Darkclaw felt a pang of concern. "What happened?" he asked.

"Well, it was weird," Jaystorm blurted out before Talonstrike could continue. "He was alone."

"What was Yellowpaw doing out alone by the borders?" Darkclaw scoffed.

"We're getting to it," Jaystorm said. "Well, obviously he stared at us until we said something."

"So we asked him what he thought he was doing so close to our border," Talonstrike picked up the story. "And then he said something really strange."

"Just spit it out," Darkclaw sighed, getting tired of everyone beating around the bush. "I'm tired."

"He said that the secrets of the tunnels have been revealed," Talonstrike said slowly. "And enemies of the dark beware."

"You all had to crash you're way in here to tell me that?" Darkclaw crowed.

"I know it sounds petty," Talonstrike defended himself. "But you didn't see it Darkclaw, and it was _weird."_

"Yeah, the cats like, possessed or something," Jaystorm added. "I've never seen that look in his eyes before."

"There's no law against being weird."

"Well it wasn't weird," Talonstrike said. "It was _scary."_

Darkclaw opened his mouth to reply but stopped when he heard yet another cat push its way into the cramped den.

"What, are you _doing?" _Rainsong cried. "Do you all want to get sick?"

"We had to talk to Darkclaw," Talonstrike said feebly.

"Out! All of you!" Rainsong screeched. "And if the whole clan gets sick I'm holding you three to blame!"

Darkclaw watched in silence as his three friends pushed out of the den. He closed his eyes and laid his chin on his paws. He had a nagging feeling that something was off.

_The secrets of the tunnels have been revealed. Enemies of the dark beware._

The words chilled Darkclaw, and he shivered. He dimly thought of the question that had been nagging at him.

What was to beware in the dark?

...

Blackclaw sighed as she heard the angry yowl of Yellowpaw cascaded across the camp.

"It's like I have to do everything myself around here!" he was screaming at the horror struck Scarpaw. "How hard is it to do a _simple _hunting patrol!"

Blackclaw grimaced at his horrid tone, she knew what he was talking about. Earlier today, Scarpaw had attended a hunting patrol. She knew what had happened, word had spread like wildfire through the clan the second the hunting party had came back. Scarpaw had sprained his paw quite badly in a rabbit hole, and couldn't get out. The poor cat had to call for help since no one was around, resulting in scaring off every last dreaded piece of prey on the territory. Seed and Darkstripe had been on the patrol, and quite rudely blamed Scarpaw that no one would be eating tonight. Blackclaw looked on at Scarpaw, who had his head ducked in shame as Yellowpaw chewed him out.

"It's _your _fault we're going to starve," Yellowpaw said menacingly. "If anyone gets sick from hunger, they are going to blame _you."_

"Hey, stop it!"

Blackclaw turned to see Rosepaw angrily walking towards her friend.

"You're being cruel," Rosepaw said hotly. "Scarpaw was hurt and needed help! He didn't deliberately scare off the prey!"

"Shut up," Yellowpaw seethed. "Worthless kit."

Blackclaws mouth dropped in shock, and she looked around to see if anyone had heard the dreadful insult.

By the looks of everyone's faces, no one had heard a thing.

"Think you can talk back to me?" Yellowpaw hissed, stepping closer to Rosepaw. "Think you're so tough?"

"All I was saying, you are being mean to Scarpaw, and I want it to stop," Rosepaw whispered, towering under Yellowpaw.

"Oh, what would he do if you weren't here," Yellowpaw whispered, eyes glittering. "Stupid orphan cat would probably kill himself."

Blackclaws body screamed for her to go over and stop his cruelty, but her body seemed frozen to the ground. She wanted to see what Rosepaw would do.

"And you, you crippled little runt," Yellowpaw continued. "You're gonna be killed in the first battle you go into. And quite frankly, I'm looking forward to it."

Blackclaw had enough. "Yellowpaw!" she yelled, stomping over to him. "Who do you think you are, talking to her like that?"

"I can do what I want," was Yellowpaws simple answer. "I'm the deputy."

"Willowclans deputy wouldn't talk like that," Rosepaw said quietly, voice trembling. "Darkclaws a nice cat."

"Then why don't you go and live with him then?" Yellowpaw screamed. "While you're at it, why don't you go get pregnant with his kits and then -"

"Stop," Blackclaw said, shocked. Yellowpaw stared at her, bits of froth were beginning to form at the corners of his mouth. His eyes shined, but in a sickly way. Blackclaw felt a cold shoot of fear chill her bones. Yellowpaw was going mad.

"Don't you _ever _talk to them like that again," Blackclaw whispered. "Or there's gonna be consequences."

"Why, what are you going to do?" Yellowpaw hissed. "You can't do ANYTHING!"

Blackclaw watched in horror as Yellowpaw lashed out a paw and shoved Scarpaw to the ground. Scarpaw landed on his sprained leg and cried out in pain. As Rosepaw cried out in alarm and leaned down to help him up, Yellowpaw dug his claws into her back and scratched down her spine. Rosepaw screamed, and blood spurted out of her back, spraying against Yellowpaws smiling face.

Blackclaws vision went red.

She leaped at Yellowpaw, howling as she lashed out at him with her extended claws. She took him by surprise, bowling him over onto the ground.

"THINK YOU'RE TOUGH?" she screamed as she dug her claws into his face. "YOU CRIPPLED LITTLE _RUNT!" _she slashed and slashed, ignoring Yellowpaws feeble attempts to fight back. _Rotten little coward. _

"You're all talk, aren't you!" Blackclaw screeched. "You can't fight! You can't even beat a she-cat!"

Slash, slash, slash

"The only reason you pick on these apprentices is because they let you do it!" Blackclaw yelled. "They don't fight back because you're the _deputy! _You're the cat that's supposed to _encourage _them! To _help _them!

Slash, slash

SLASH

"Both these apprentices don't even have a father! Any cat with a heart and soul would stand by as a father figure! ESPECIALLY THE GODDAMN DEPUTY!"

Blackclaw stepped off of him, not realizing she had just reduced Yellowpaw to a mangled bloody pulp, writhing on the ground.

"You're not a deputy, you're a monster," she whispered. "A monster."

Yellowpaw didn't reply.

Blackclaw gulped.

Yellowpaw, didn't breathe.

Blackclaws breath started to come out in short, panicked gasps.

Yellowpaw, was dead.

...

"Hey Darkclaw..."

Darkclaw didn't need to open his eyes to confirm it was Lilypaw. Her soft, high pitched voice told him already.

"Are you sleeping?" Lilypaw whispered again.

"Yes," Darkclaw said.

"No you're not," Lilypaw giggled. Darkclaw smiled and opened his eyes. His heart beat a little bit faster as he saw Lilypaw. Her brown fur shined even though there was no sun in the den, and her green eyes sparkled.

"What's up?" he asked.

"I just wanted to see you," Lilypaw admitted. "I haven't seen you much lately."

"Oh," Darkclaw was taken by surprise. "Well, that's kind of you."

"Yeah," was all Lilypaw said. They sat still for several moments before Darkclaw realized something.

"Aren't you worried about getting sick?" he asked.

"Nah," Lilypaw smiled slightly. "I'll be fine."

"Okay," Darkclaw whispered. A tension was starting to build, unspoken words clouding over them like smoke.

"So, I was wondering," Darkclaw said slowly. "When I'm not sick anymore, we should go for a walk or something."

"That would be fun," Lilypaw said happily. "The fearsome four hasn't hung out all together in a while."

"Uh, well no we haven't. But I was talking about just you and me."

"Alone?" Lilypaw said in confusion.

"Unless you really want to drag Talonstrike and Jaystorm along," Darkclaw smiled. Realization dawned over Lilypaw noticeably.

"Oh, well, yeah we can be alone," Lilypaw shrugged and looked down. "That would be nice."

Darkclaw felt lighter than he had in days, but when he opened his mouth to reply he stopped.

Someone was crying.

Lilypaw heard it too, and she looked behind her. "Something's going on out there," she said, getting up. She ran out of the den, and despite Darkclaws sickness, he also dragged himself to his paws. He slowly made his way out of the den, just in time to see what was going on.

Blackclaw from Greenclan was standing at the camp entrance, crying. Behind her was two little apprentices, looking terrified.

"You need to take them!" Blackclaw was crying to Leafstar. "They're not safe in Greenclan!"

"Just slow down, I can barely understand you," Leafstar said slowly. Blackclaw stopped sobbing long enough to speak.

"They aren't safe there," Blackclaw whispered, body trembling. "You need to take them. Please."

Darkclaw finally registered the fact that Blackclaw was soaked in blood, and she had a wild look in her eyes.

_What's going on?_

"Blackclaw, why aren't they safe in your clan?" Leafstar asked.

"Because... because of Yellowpaw," Blackclaw choked. "Well, he's not much of a problem anymore because I killed him."

Shocked voices erupted around Willowclan, Darkclaw included.

"But I didn't do it just because," Blackclaw continued. "He was hurting them!"

"Blackclaw... we can't take them," Leafstar said at last. "They belong to Greenclan!"

"No we don't!" Scarpaw cried out. "My mother and father are dead!"

"And my mother doesn't want me," Rosepaw mumbled.

"That means they are rogue kits," Leafstar said slowly. "Blackclaw, you can't honestly expect me to take them under these circumstances."

"Then I'll take them."

Darkclaw looked around to see who had spoken. His eyes widened in shock as he realized it was Jaystorm. He walked towards the Greenclan cats determinedly, eyes narrowed.

"Why would you care about them?" Blackclaw asked defensively. "You don't even know them."

"Maybe not," Jaystorm admitted.

"How do we know you won't hurt us like Yellowpaw did?" Rosepaw asked, voice scared.

"Because," Jaystorm whispered. "I'm your dad."


	24. Finale

I Fell In Love With My Apprentice

Chapter 24: Finale

_Many moons later_

"Roseheart, have you seen my dad?" Mintpaw demanded. Roseheart looked at the pale gray she cat and gave him a knowing look. "_Our _dad, Mintpaw," she corrected. "Jaystorm is my dad too."

"Sorry," Mintpaw mumbled, shifting his paws awkwardly. "I always forget."

"It's not big deal," Roseheart shrugged. "And to answer your question, I think he went out on the evening patrol."

"Why didn't he invite me?" Mintpaw cried.

"He thought you might need to rest," Roseheart replied. "You did the patrol this morning."

"That's dumb," Mintpaw mumbled. "I'm bored right now."

"You'll see him when he's back," Roseheart said. "Why don't you go play with Scartail until then?"

"Scartails busy doing medicine cat stuff," Mintpaw grumbled. "Why can't I play with you?"

"I would," Roseheart said gently. "But I was on my way to visit Lilypool."

"Okay," Mintpaw sighed. "Tell her to hurry up and get the kits out of her belly so we can play again."

"Alright," Roseheart chuckled. "See you later, Mintpaw." then Roseheart turned and padded away in the direction of the nursery. Life had changed drastically in the past few moons, Roseheart and Scartail were now warriors of Willowclan. Lilypool was going to be a new mother soon, making Moonfeather a new father. Roseheart felt happy for them, but she couldn't rid the thoughts of the past. Leafstar had offered Blackclaw a place in Willowclan, but she had refused. She said she couldn't forgive herself for what she had done, even though she was protecting Greenclans tormented apprentices. Rosehearts heart felt heavy as she thought of her adopted mother. _I miss her dearly, _Roseheart thought to herself. _I wish she'd come back. _As she pushed her way into the nursery, she wasn't surprised to see Moonfeather curled up next to Lilypool. He looked so content and peaceful Roseheart almost felt bad for intruding. But Lilypool looked up at her kindly, so she took that as a sign it was okay.

"How are you feeling?" Roseheart asked, settling down next to Lilypool. "You must be ready to give birth any day now."

"Hopefully it will be soon," Lilypool said gently. "Every bone in my body is aching."

"There's gonna be more than one kit," Moonfeather said happily. "I can feel it."

"You look like you're excited," Roseheart said, feeling a pang of envy. _I bet no one was excited when I was in Reedflowers belly. _

"I just can't wait to be a dad," Moonfeather said. "I'm going to mentor them into the best warriors this forest has ever seen."

Lilypool nuzzled his cheek affectionately with her nose, purring loudly.

"Well, I'll leave you two alone," Roseheart said, backing out. "I think I hear the patrol coming back, so I'm going to go tell Jaystorm he has a bored kit wandering around."

"See you later," Lilypool murmured. Roseheart padded out of the den wordlessly, and was unsurprised to see the evening patrol warily making their way into the camp.

"I can't believe we caught so much," Talonstrike was saying. "I swear, all the prey was just waiting for us."

"No kidding," Jaystorm replied, dropping his mouse onto the fresh kill pile. "It also kind of makes you wonder if there won't be much tomorrow."

"You never know," Talonstrike mumbled.

"Hi, Roseheart!" Fuzztuft, Lilypools brother, called out when he saw Roseheart staring at them. "Look what we caught!"

"I can see that," Roseheart marveled, smiling kindly at him. Fuzztuft awkwardly looked down at his paws.

"Hey sweetie," Jaystorm called out to his daughter. "Did you have a good day?"

"Yeah," Roseheart said.

"Dad!" Mintpaw cried out from behind her, startling her. She watched as Mintpaw barreled past her and leaped onto Jaystorm. "I want to play!"

"But I'm so tired," Jaystorm said teasingly, flopping down onto the ground. "I think I'm gonna go to sleep right here."

"DAD!" Mintpaw whined, prodding him with her paw. "I've been waiting for moons for you to get back from that patrol!"

"Moons, huh?" Jaystorm smiled, getting up off the ground. "Well in that case, why don't you go find Lionpaw and Petalpaw. We can go for a walk to the stream and play on the big rock in the middle of it."

"Can mom come too?" Mintpaw asked, nearly bursting with excitement.

"If she's not too tired," Jaystorm said. "She hasn't been feeling well lately."

"I'm fine," Hollyfern said, walking up to them. "I just have a cold, Jaystorm. Not Greencough."

"Well excuse me for being concerned," Jaystorm mumbled.

"I'll go find the others!" Mintpaw exploded, racing off in the other direction. Jaystorm smiled at Hollyfern before turned to Roseheart. "Would you like to come too?" he asked.

"I'll stay here," Roseheart said softly. "I'd feel like I was intruding."

"You wouldn't be intruding," Jaystorm said defensively.

"I'm tired anyway," Roseheart lied.

"Well okay," Jaystorm said slowly. "Well, we can do something together when I come back if you want."

"Alright," Roseheart smiled happily. "I'd like that."

She watched at Jaystorm and his family walked out of the camp, the three newly made apprentices bouncing excitedly on their paws. _Everything's so strange, _she thought to herself. _It feels almost unreal. _Her eyes drifted to the corner of the camp involuntarily, and her heart beat faster in sadness. A little grave was dug right behind the warriors den, holding under it the body of Darkclaw. _I never knew you, but I looked up to you, _Roseheart thought to herself. _You gave me hope. You showed me that a real deputy is kind. Not cruel. You showed me how life was supposed to be, great and full of love. _

_All I ever knew was a life of fear._

_I tried so hard to press on, for Scartails sake. He needed me, just like the clan needed you. I wish Blackclaw and I were born under your clan. Oh, how things would have been different. _Darkclaw had passed away several moons ago due to his never ending bout of Greencough. Roseheart knew his sickness wasn't too bad, but yet it took away his life in the end. Everyone knew the only reason he was holding on so hard was because of Lilypaw, well, Lilypool now. But after she and Moonfeather became mates, Darkclaw seemed to let go.

Some said Darkclaw died of Greencough.

Others said he died of a broken heart.

Roseheart thought it was probably a mixture of both.

_And now life will go on, _Roseheart thought. _Yellowpaw is no longer a threat to my life, to anyone's. _But she knew it wasn't over. Back in Greenclan, Roseheart had heard him speak of an upcoming evil known as the dark.

_The secrets of the tunnels have been revealed. Enemies of the dark, beware_

_The dark is still out there. _

_The whereabouts of Blackclaw remains unknown. _

Fin

**A/n. Alright, we've reached the end. I'd like to thank all my readers for the support and encouragement on this project, it took me quite a while! I'm actually really sad the adventures of Lilypaw, Darkclaw, Talonstrike and Jaystorm have reached its end. I would have kept it going, but it felt like it had to end soon. I can only put them through so much xD. When I started this book, I never thought it would get this far. Hell, I never thought id put Lilypaw and Jaystorm together. It just sort of happened! And about the ending, with Darkclaws death, I know it was a cruel way to end him. Trust me, I know. But I couldn't put him with Lilypaw. Well, Lilypool. I felt it was more appropriate to make her end up with a cat her own age in the end... and I think it was a good choice. I think I did a really good job on this story :3 it was my all time favorite to write (well since each chapter took me 2-3 hours to write, I would have had to like it lol) Anyways, thanks again my lovelys.**

**And now I just reread this chapter and have reduced myself to tears in the middle of my English class. **


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